Masaryk University Faculty of Arts

Department of English and American Studies

English Language and Literature

Juraj Schweigert, BA

The Uncanny: The Double as a iterary !onvention

Masters Diploma Thesis

Supervisor Michael Matthew !a"lor, #h$ D$

"#$#

% declare that % have wor&ed on this thesis independentl", using onl" the primar" and secondar" sources listed in the 'i'liograph"$

.. Juraj Schweigert

% would li&e to than& m" supervisor Dr$ Michael Matthew !a"lor (or his patient guidance and all the valua'le suggestions and comments that helped me to shape this thesis$ Also, % would li&e to than& #ro($ )icholas *o"le (or the e+traordinar" learning e+perience 'ordering on the uncann" during the seminars lead '" him at the ,niversit" o( Susse+$

TA% E &F !&'TE'TS

- .reud and /The ,ncann"$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$0 -$- The ,ncann" #remiere$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$0 -$1 /The Sandman S"nopsis$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$2 -$3 .reuds Anal"sis o( the ,ncann"$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$-3 -$4 /The ,ncann" in a Broader 5onte+t$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$-6 1 Der Doppelg7nger 89The Dou'le:;$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$13 1$- <tto *an&s Stud"$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$13 1$1 )arcissism$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ 10 1$3 Lacans Mirror$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$16 1$4 The Dou'le in Literature$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$31 1$0 Some .inal Thoughts on the Dou'le$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$36 3 /=illiam =ilson .athers )ame$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$44 /The >ellow =allpaper The Auto'iographical Dou'le$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$02 0 The Dar& ?al( 9%nventing <nesel(:$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$60 @ The ,ncann" *eprise$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$-A6 B =or&s 5ited$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ --1 6 Summar"$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ --@ 2 *esumC$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ --6

$ Freud and (The Uncanny)

<r it can 'e regarded as the path o( the soul, which is traversing the series o( its own (orms o( em'odiment, li&e stages appointed (or it '" its own nature, that it ma" possess the clearness o( spiritual li(e when, through the complete e+perience o( its own sel(, it arrives at the &nowledge o( what it is in itsel($.$ =$ ?egel

$*$ The Uncanny: +remiere /%t is onl" rarel" that a ps"choanal"st (eels impelled to investigate su'ject o( aesthetics, even when aesthetics is understood to mean not merel" the theor" o( 'eaut" 'ut the theor" o( Dualities o( (eeling$ ?e wor&s in other strata o( mental li(e and has little to do with the su'dued emotional impulses which, inhi'ited in their aims and dependent on a host o( concurrent (actors, usuall" (urnish the material (or the stud" o( aesthetics$1 ?aving started his essa" /Das ,nheimliche 8/The ,ncann";, .reud alread" marginaliEes, in his characteristic wa", the issue which would later gain more importance$

.$ =$ ?egel, /Dialectic and ?uman E+perience, Hegel: Essential Writings, ed$

.rederic& F$ =eiss, 8)ew >or& ?arper G *ow, -2B4; 4B$

1

Sigmund .reud, /The ,ncann", Art and Literature: Jensens Gradiva,

Leonardo da Vinci and Other Works, eds$ James Strache" and Al'ert Dic&son, vol$ -4$ 8London #enguin, -22A; 332$

.urther page re(erences will 'e given parentheticall" in the main 'od" o( the te+t, a''reviated as /,, where appropriate$

%t is not ver" usual (or a ps"choanal"st to e+plore such phenomena, sa"s .reudH nevertheless, he (eels o'liged to do so$ And although he claims that he is going to touch onl" upon some aspects o( the su'ject, he ends up treating 9the uncann": as a whole$ Aesthetics, into which .reud seemingl" reluctantl"

contri'utes, has invaria'l" dealt with the emotions as such and the wa" we e+perience themH 'ut, .reud declares that, while aesthetics scope (ocuses on the 'eauti(ul or on the su'lime, he is the (irst to tac&le the pro'lem o( the uncann"$ 9 as !nhei"liche# 89the uncann":; 'elongs to the realm o( the (rightening, 'ut occupies a somewhat detached space (rom what seems to 'e merel" (earsome$ The most recent wor&s treating

the issue o( (ear, (or e+ample, include !endall L$ =altons essa" /.earing .ictions or #eter LamarDues /?ow 5an =e .ear and #it" .ictions$ These, however, wor& with a concept o( (ear which is ver" di((erent (rom what .reud outlines and are rather concerned with the mechanism and the e+istence o( emotions inspired '" wor&s o( art$ =hile these philosophers o( art treat (ear 8e+perienced when contemplating art; in terms o( the ma&eI 'elievedness and the willingl" su'jecting o( oneIsel( to

sensations o( (ear 8(or ones li(e or sa(et" perhaps;, the uncann" precludes an" act o( will and stri&es une+pectedl"$ %t overwhelms when encountered$ The concept easil" e+tends (rom the area o(

literature or art to real li(e, still, however, remaining ver" unli&e 9instinctual: (ear$ >et, .reud is not the (irst to write a'out the uncann"$ Ernst Jentsch touches upon E$T$A ?o((mans short stor" /The Sandman in his own stud" /<n the #s"cholog" o( the ,ncann" (rom -2A@ 8thirteen "ears 'e(ore .reud;, a stud" which .reud did not consider to 'e satis(actor" and adeDuate$ .reud thus em'ar&s on the enterprise o( anal"sing the stor" himsel($ ?is anal"sis 'i(urcates one o( its courses ta&es the (orm o( a linguistic

anal"sisH the other relies on empirical o'servation and the assem'ling o( instances which arouse uncann" (eelings$ Both

come to the same conclusion /The uncann" is that class o( the (rightening which leads 'ac& to what is &nown o( old and long (amiliar8,, 34A;, and re(er the reader to the seeming opposition o( concepts, the 9(amiliar: and the 9un(amiliar:, or rather the

9cann": 8that which is &nown J 9canned:; and the 9uncann":$ Through Duite a length" and detailed linguistic anal"sis, .reud arrives at a ver" intriguing conclusion$ The meaning o( the two words in di((erent languages seems to coincide$ %n Ferman, the word 9hei"lich: can mean 9'elonging to the house or the (amil", not strange, and (amiliar:H on the other hand, it can also mean 9concealed and &ept (rom sight: J which overlaps with the meaning o( the word 9unhei"lich: 8,, 344;$The same conclusions are to 'e arrived at in English language$ Thus, the words seem to
B

originate (rom one another, 'eing one anothers dou'le as it were$ A(ter all, negation alwa"s means a((irmation, as we

learned (rom .reuds case studies, and the pre(i+ 9unI: is a mar& o( repression$ %t is as i( there is an instance o( schiEophrenia em'edded in the language$ =ords li&e 9weird:, 9strange:, 9odd:, 9alien:, 9unhomel":, 9Dueer:, and 9(unn": J the s"non"ms o( the 9uncann": J also involve multiple readings, meanings, and schisms$ The uncann" em'races a sense o( the uncertaint" o( ones e+periences, o( onesel(, and o( the uncann" itsel($ 5are(ull", though not without misinterpretation, .reud anal"ses /The Sandman$ ?e supplies an account o( the stor", which in a wa" su'stitutes the original /Der Sandmann$ %t is that 9dangerous supplement:3 which haunts ?o((manns stor"$ %t is at once 'oth a part o( it and an e+tra, producing meaning o( its own$ %t is one o( the countless traces through which /Der Sandmann is$ 8And in man" wa"s /The ,ncann" and /The Sandman have 'ecome a conventional, insepara'le couple$; As ?ClKne 5i+ous suggests, .reuds account handles the stor" as i( he were stud"ing a case o( neurosis and gives the impression
3

This is a re(erence to the essa" /$$$ The Dangerous Supplement $$$ '" JacDues

Derrida, whose writing is highl" relevant to thin&ing a'out the uncann"$ The 9supplement: is an inde(ina'le presence 8and a'sence at the same time; that haunts the original$ To demonstrate, Derrida ta&es the preconception that 9writing: is merel" a supplement o( 9speech: and deconstructs it in his O$ Gra""atolog% in such a wa" that writing 'ecomes more than just a supplementing opposite o( speech$

that the narrative has a straight(orward and logical order$ An" recount is prone to change its meaning this is the nature o( language$ B" virtue o( retelling, e+ploiting the reitera'ilit" o( the te+t, its meaning can 'e, either consciousl" or unconsciousl", manipulated$ .reuds concentration on e"es as the principal moti( /seems to eradicate the dou't concerning the authors intention4 and reduces the scope o( the stor"$ .reud sees the stor" as the <edipal con(lict 'etween )athaniel, the main hero, and his (ather, whom )athaniel wishes dead in order to acDuire his o'ject choice$ Being aware o( committing the sel(same error or o((ense, i( "ou will, the (ollowing will 'rie(l" provide an account, in order to ma&e the reader (amiliar with this uncann" piece o( writing '" ?o((mann$

$*" (The Sandman) Synopsis /The Sandman 'egins with a letter (rom )athaniel to his (riend Lothar$ ?e voices his concern that /something appalling has entered his li(e$0 Something (rom the past, a haunting memor", that has returned$ %n order (or Lothar 8and the reader; to understand, )athaniel decides that it is necessar" to recount the events o( his earl" da"s$

?ClKne 5i+ous, /.iction and %ts #hantoms

A *eading o( .reuds

as

!nhei"liche 8The 9uncann":;, &e' Literar% Histor% B$3 8-2B@; 033$

0

E$ T$ A$ ?o((mann, /The Sandman, (ales o$ Ho$$"ann, trans$ *$ J$ ?ollingdale

8London #enguin, 1AA4; 60$

As children, )athaniel and his 'rothers and sisters would not see their (ather ver" o(tenH 'ut, when the" did, the" would spend pleasant (amil" evenings listening to their (athers wondrous stories$ There would 'e, however, some evenings when melanchol" and silence ruled their household$ Then their mother would send the children upstairs to their 'eds at nine ocloc& with the (ollowing words /)ow children, time (or 'ed$ The Sandman is coming, % can tell$ @ .rom the sa(et" o( their 'edroom, heav" steps, coughing and scraping could 'e heard ascending the stairs$ ?owever, upon inDuir" as to who the Sandman is, the mother onl" said that it is just a metaphor (or sleepiness$ Dissatis(ied with such an answer, )athaniel as&ed a nurse o( theirs, who descri'ed the Sandman as a wic&ed man who too& e"es out o( childrens heads and (ed them to his own children, who were nested in the crescent moon$ As the "ears went '", )athaniels curiosit" increased, and one da" he managed to spot the terri'le (igure o( the Sandman in whom he recogniEed 5oppelius, the disgusting advocate who used to dine with them at times$ )athaniel attempts to (ind out what &ind o( e+periments his (ather and 5oppelius have 'een per(orming$ ,n(ortunatel", he is discovered, seiEed '" 5oppelius and threatened with having his e"es gouged out$ <nl" on his (athers imploring is )athaniel saved$ A(ter some time, his (ather dies in an e+plosion during one o( his e+periments, an e+periment he
@

/The Sandman, 6@$

-A

was sure would 'e his last 8either 'ecause he wanted to cease or 'ecause he (elt his end was near;, and 5oppelius disappears$ As the mature )athaniel writes, he meets a 'arometerI seller Fiuseppe 5oppola, whose (igure and (eatures strongl" remind him o( 5oppelius$ To his anno"ance, the letter to Lothar is opened '" 5lara, )athaniels love, who writes 'ac& reasoning that it is onl" the wor& o( superstition and his (anci(ul imagination$ )athaniel replies re'u&ing 5lara (or opening letters not addressed to her, and he also hal(Ijo&ingl" urges Lothar not to teach her how to reason logicall" an"more$ .urthermore, he relates that he has 'een attending lectures given '" a (amous ph"sician o( %talian descent, #ro(essor SpalanEani$ ?e also mentions SpalanEanis 'eauti(ul daughter <l"mpia, whom he saw$ A(ter this letter, the narration is ta&en over '" an omniscient narrator, presuma'l" a (riend o( )athaniels$ The narrator tells the reader that upon )athaniels return home to see 5lara, he (alls into melanchol"$ ?e is haunted '" uncann" (ore'odings and e+presses their gruesomeness in his poetr", which is, to his anno"ance, met with 5laras cold logic$ <nce he is 'ac& at the place o( his studies, he is visited '" 5oppola, who sells him a sp"glass, which ena'les him to watch <limpia$ She is ver" strange and to ever"one elses surprise, despite his sharp wit, )athaniel is una'le to mar& this strangeness and (alls in love with her$ <ne da" as he clim's the
--

stairs to SpalanEanis stud", he (inds the pro(essor and 5oppola wrestling (or <limpia$ She turns out to 'e just a wellIdesigned cloc&wor&$ As 5oppola manages to seiEe her and carr" her awa", her e"es drop on the ground$ ?orri(ied '" the (inding, )athaniel is seiEed '" rage and attempts to throttle the pro(essor$ =hen )athaniel recovers he ma&es a trip with 5lara and Lothar$ ?e clim's the townIhall tower with 5lara in order to enjo" the view$ ?e reaches into his poc&et (or 5oppolas sp"glass,

which mar&s the onset o( another seiEure$ B Lothar Duic&l" runs up to save his sister as )athaniel tries to throw her down$ ?e rescues her, and )athaniel jumps o(( the tower$ ?is 'od" stretches in (ront o( the watching crowd and the grinning 5oppola$ This concludes the account o( the te+t, and some o( its intricacies will 'e considered later$

The supplementar" character o( this account can 'e seen here$ %t can 'e

interpreted that the sp"glass is the cause o( )athaniels seiEure$ )athaniel loo&s at 5lara through itH the seiEure, thus, could 'e caused '" the memor" o( <limpia$ But, it is also possi'le that, as .reud suggests, )athaniel saw 5oppola through the sp"glass /9Loo& at that (unn" little gre" 'ush, which reall" seems to 'e wal&ing towards us,: said 5lara$ )athaniel reached mechanicall" into his sideIpoc&etH he (ound 5oppolas sp"glass, he loo&ed sidewa"s J 5lara was standing 'e(ore the glassL 8--B;$ .reud suggests that 5oppola, seen (rom a distance, is li&e a 'ush (or 5lara, 'ut )athaniel can recogniEe him$ At the end, it turns out that 5oppola is among the crowd, watching (rom under the tower$ >et, although .reuds interpretation is not impossi'le, it seems to 'e less natural than the one a'oveH the te+t does not reall" impl" either o( them$

-1

$*, Freud)s Analysis of the Uncanny The pro'lem with .reuds rendition, as 5i+ous argues in /The .iction and its #hantoms, is that he diminishes the importance o( the intellectual uncertaint" and handles ?o((manns stor" in such wa" that it allows him to 'ring in the 5astration 5omple+$ The te+t itsel( does not necessaril" have to 'e seen as accentuating re(erences to the e"es, seeing, or an" other details that would conjure up an inclination to such an interpretation 85i+ous 031 I 033;$ %( the e"es are perceived as a su'stitute (or the genitals, then the .reudian perspective o( a castration comple+ is open the (ear o( losing ones e"es eDuals the (ear o( losing ones penis$ This logic is simpleH and, as long as we den" the connection o( the two, sa"s .reud, the various elements o( the stor" will seem ar'itrar" and meaningless$ .reud sees 5oppelius and )athaniels (ather as two opposites o( the (athers imago6$ The 9'ad: (ather wants to castrate himH the 9good: one to save him (rom 'eing
6

)nternational

ictionar% o$ *s%choanal%sis /The term 9i"ago# (irst appeared

in wor& o( 5arl Fustav Jung in -2-1, and M$$$N is lin&ed to repression, which in neurosis, through regression, provo&es the return o( an old relationship or (orm o( relationship, the reanimation o( a parental imago$ M$$$N Jung e+plained his choice o( this term 9This intraps"chical image comes (rom two sources the in(luence o( the parents, on the one hand, and the childs speci(ic relations, on the other$: MON .reud showed the importance o( the childs lin&s with its parents and e+plained that the most important thing is the wa" in which the child su'jectivel" perceives its parentsH these ideas are contained in the notion o( the imago$

-3

castrated$

The

<edipal

wish

(or

the

(ather

to

'e

dead

un(ortunatel" materialiEes in the 9good: (athers death$ .reud suggests that the am'ivalent (ather imago is (urther em'odied in 5oppola and SpalanEani, who represent )athaniels (ather through )athaniels narcissistic identi(ication with <limpia$ The pro'lem with .reuds interpretation is not that it would 'e invalid, 'ut that, through its s"m'olic oneI(orIone su'stitution, it (orecloses an" other interpretation$ >et, it is an interesting opening o( the discussion o( the uncann" which reassesses and (ollows Ernst Jentschs anal"sis$ Although /The Sandman displa"s man" instances o( what .reud considers the cru+ o( the uncann" phenomena, he opts (or a ver" peculiar move$ Apparentl" satis(ied with his interpretation (eaturing the (ear o( castration, he 'rings in another o( ?o((manns stories /The Devils Eli+ir$ This time, however, he gives the stor" short shri(t and is content with pointing out that it is not possi'le to deal with all its themes and that onl" the most prominent should 'e considered here$ ?e concentrates on the theme o( 9dou'ling:, without ever anal"sing it within the conte+t o( ?o((manns stor"$ The crucial assertion .reud ma&es is that what renders an event, situation, thing, or a piece o( art uncann" is repetition$ /The constant recurrence o( the same thing 8,, 30@;, .reud argues, is the principal (actor that accounts (or the (eeling o( the
-4

uncann"$ The inner compulsion to repeat, which he descri'es in detail in another stud", +e%ond the *leasure *rinci,le , is a (eature o( the human ps"che that 'rings a'out (eelings o( uncanniness$ The thing that recurs is mostl" a repressed one, a remainder o( our surmounted 'elie(s, and it ma&es us dou't whether our new 'elie(s are correct or whether the animistic 'elie(s 8the e+istence o( living dead, ghosts, and the

omnipotence o( thoughts; that we have surmounted are not valid a(ter all$ To o'jectivel" point a (inger at the uncann" li&e .reud intended to do would 'e, however, a mista&e )ow, however, it is time to turn (rom these aspects o( the matter, which are in an" case di((icult to judge and loo& (or some undenia'le instances o( the uncann", in the hope that an anal"sis o( them will decide whether our h"pothesis is a valid one$ 8,, 3@-;

%n realit", it cannot 'e said this or that is 9undenia'l": uncann"$ There are some general classes and mechanisms, however, 'ut the (eeling o( the uncann" itsel( is largel" a reading e((ect 8whether o( a literar" te+t or a te+t in the wider sense o( the word;$ That is the reason wh" Jentsch does not attempt to create a comple+ theor" o( the uncann" /Such a conceptual e+planation would have ver" little value$ The main reason (or this is that the same impression does not necessaril" e+ert an uncann" e((ect on ever"'od" M$$$N it is 'etter M$$$N to investigate how the a((ective

-0

e+citement o( the uncann" arises in ps"chological terms$ 2 Anal"sis might tell wh" and in what wa" something is uncann", 'ut it cannot postulate a particular thing as generall" (elt as uncann"$ Just as there is no universal concept o( 9the 'eauti(ul: J in the sense, that one thing might 'e 'eauti(ul (or one person and ugl" (or another J there is no universal uncann"$ This argument, a(ter all, is supported '" the ver" nature o( the 9uncann":, the origins o( which stem (rom some repressed material or surmounted 'elie(s which, argua'l", are individual /.or this uncann" is in realit" nothing new or alien, 'ut something which is (amiliar and oldIesta'lished in the mind and which has 'ecome alienated (rom it onl" through the process o( repression 8,, 3@3J3@4;$ =hat is more, .reuds warning against ta&ing (or

granted that what is repressed and surmounted is necessaril" uncann" testi(ies, in a wa", to the su'jective character o( the issue$ -A .reud suggests that, as (ar as literature is concerned, the uncanniness o( the su'jectImatter depends on the e+tent to which the illusion o( realit" is 'ought '" the reader$
2

Ernst Jentsch, /<n the #s"cholog" o( the ,ncann", Angelaki 1$-$ 8-220; 2$ /)ot ever"thing that (ul(ils this condition MON is on that account uncann" 8,,

-A

3@6;$ <ne could speculate a'out the universalit" o( the uncann" i( one adopts the !antian notion o( 9su'jective universalit":$ %n the case o( the uncann", however, the repressed material would have to 'e the same (or all people$ #erhaps the castration comple+ J an an+iet" (ound, according to .reud, in all male su'jects J could 'e a common denominator (or the universalit" o( some instances o( the uncann"$ This would validate the o'jectivit" o( .reuds anal"sis o( /The Sandman$

-@

)or is it perhaps correct to de(initel" close the group o( what ma&es things uncann", as .reud doesH generall", according to him, these are the things that ma&e something uncann" /animism, magic and sorcer", mans attitude to death,

involuntar" repetition and the castration comple+ 8,, 3@0;$ Since the list o( the uncann" could 'e e+tended e+ponentiall", the attempt to classi(" or to delimit the concept cannot 'e achieved$ %t could include dCjP vQ, 9the dou'le:, canni'alism, dar&ness, silence, madness, and epileps"$ Even .reud cannot

resist supplementing the list (urther in the paragraphs that (ollow$ As )icholas *o"le remar&s in a medical metaphor /Ever" attempt to isolate and anal"se a speci(ic case o( the uncann" seems to generate an at least minor epidemic$-Lastl", there is a ver" important remar& to 'e made in this short summar" o( .reuds essa"$ As has 'een suggested a couple o( paragraphs a'ove, the milieu appears to 'e crucial (or the uncann" (eeling to ta&e place, especiall" within the realm o( literature$ Attention is drawn to the (act that, when we accept the imaginar" and ac&nowledge that what we read is (ictional, the uncann" is cancelled$ Thus, (air" tales teeming with ghosts, demons, thoughtItrans(erence, animism, etc$, suspend the

uncann" due to the conscious a((irmation o( the (ictional status o( the te+t$ <n the other hand, i( the author 'lurs the 'oundar"
--

)icholas *o"le, (he !ncann%: An )ntroduction, 8Manchester Manchester ,#,

1AA3; -3$

-B

'etween (iction and realit", the e+perience o( the uncann" is possi'le$-1

$*- (The Uncanny) in a %roader !onte.t )ot onl" does /The ,ncann" demonstrate the methods 8or even the traps; o( ps"choanal"tic thin&ing, 'ut it has also 'ecome a ver" important tool (or thin&ing a'out culture, literature, art, philosoph", and gender$ %t ceases to 'e just a matter o(

aesthetics, especiall" with the emergence o( deconstructive thin&ing$ The introductor" chapter o( *o"les 'oo& (he !ncann%:
An )ntroduction provides the gist o( how the concept might wor&

when applied$ *ussian (ormalists, (or e+ample, wor&ed with the term ostranenie, which is a de(amiliarisation or 9ma&ing

strange:H Bertolt Brecht emphasised the alienationIe((ect, again, ma&ing the ordinar" strange$-3 ?arold Bloom conceives o( literature, particularl" o( the great canonical pieces o( literature as con(ronting readers with /an uncann" startlement rather than a (ul(ilment o( e+pectation, -4 and demonstrates that /the

-1

TEvetan Todorov draws a line and theoriEes di((erences 'etween the

9(antastic:, 9marvellous:, and 9uncann": in a chapter o( his stud" entitled (he -antastic: A .tructural A,,roach to a Literar% Genre, trans$ *$ ?oward, 8%thaca, )> 5ornell ,#, -2B0;$
-3

)icholas *o"le, (he !ncann%: An )ntroduction, 4J0$ ?arold Bloom, (he Western /anon: (he +ooks and .chools o$ the Ages ,

-4

8)ew >or& *iverhead, -220; 3$

-6

authenticall" daemonic or uncann" alwa"s achieves canonical status$-0 *ecentl", ?elen Johnson has suggested in her contri'ution at the Feorgia #olitical Science Association con(erence, entitled /5an *ationalit" Em'race the ,ncann"R )ew =a"s to Manage 5on(lict in the South #aci(ic, that the concept o( the uncann" could 'e emplo"ed in order to help to manage and resolve con(licts in nonI=estern regions$ The renouncing o( rationalit" in (avour o( more 9uncann": thin&ing models o( the indigenous people o( the regions is proposed to 'e a possi'le &e" to 'etter understanding and, thus, to solving the pro'lems that emerge$ Some scholars have used the concept o( the uncann" to thin& a'out the nuclear age and its traumas, such as #aul !$ SaintI Amour in /Bom'ing and the S"mptom Traumatic Earliness and the )uclear ,ncann" and )icolas *o"le in /)uclear #iece Memoires o( ?amlet and the Time to 5ome$ %ndeed deconstruction itsel( actuall" is uncann", and certainl" could 'e perceived through the 9optical glass: o( .reuds te+t$ %t dismantlesH /it is the e+perience o( the other as the invention o( the impossi'leH -@ to use some more words (rom its highest authorit", /it must, '" means o( a dou'le gesture, a dou'le science, a dou'le writing, practice an overturning o(
-0

(he Western /anon, 406$ JacDues Derrida, /#s"che %nvention o( the <ther, Acts o$ Literature, ed$

-@

Dere& Attridge, 8)ew >or& *outledge, -221; 316$

-2

classical opposition and a general displacement o( the s"stem$ -B Deconstruction 'lurs the limits o( the onceI&nown and has the power to ma&e it di((erent, precisel" as the word 9 das !nhei"liche# does$ /The uncann", writes *o"le, /is necessaril" 'ound with anal"sing, Duestioning, and even trans(orming what is called 9ever"da" li(e: M$$$N not onl" in relation to issues o( se+ualit", class, race, gender, age, imperialism and colonialism M$$$N 'ut also, (or e+ample, in relation to notions o( automaton, technolog" and programming$-6 The common denominator o( all uncann" phenomena appears to 'e repetition J the dou'ling o( a su'ject o( an" sort, with the second instance o( it occurring as a strange one$ <ne o( the (ew personal e+periences o( the uncann" that .reud is read" to admit is meeting his dou'le$ >et, he does so onl" to prove that he is immune to such things, that animistic 'elie(s have 'een surmounted '" his scienti(ic sel( % was sitting alone in m" 'agon0lit compartment when a more than usuall" violent jolt o( the train swung 'ac& the door o( the adjoining washing ca'inet, and an elderl" gentleman in a dressingIgown and a travelling cap came in$ M$$$N Jumping up with the intention o( putting him right, % at once realiEed to m" disma" that the intruder was nothing 'ut m" own re(lection in the loo&ingIglass on the open door$ % can still recollect that % thoroughl" disli&ed his appearance$ %nstead, there(ore, o( 'eing $rightened '" our /dou'les, 'oth Mach and % (ailed to recogniEe them as such$ 8,, 3B-;
-B

JacDues Derrida, /Signature Event 5onte+t, 1argins o$ *hiloso,h%, trans$

Alan Bass, 8Brighton ?arvester, -261; 312$

-6

)icholas *o"le, (he !ncann%: An )ntroduction, 13$

1A

%mportantl", this personal anecdote is relegated to a (ootnote and dissociates .reud (rom lia'ilit" to the e+perience o( the uncann"$ But, as .reud concedes in the closing sentence o( the (ootnote, the /archaic reaction which (eels the 9dou'le: to 'e something uncann" 8,, 3B-; might have le(t some traces in the (orm o( the disli&e he (elt$ The dou'le as we have seen occupies the most prominent space in the theor" o( the uncann"$ %t is so insistent that .reud does not hesitate to a'andon the realm o( literature and to e+plore it on the realIli(e level, no longer concerned onl" with /The Sandman and the castration comple+ 'ut also with the case histories and the return o( the repressed$ So eminent is it that even .reud, the uninterested researcher who has not long /e+perienced or heard o( an"thing which his given him an uncann" impression 8,, 34A;, (eels compelled to come up with an anecdote (rom his own li(e to e+plain it$ At this point, it would 'e apt to ta&e a closer loo& at what returns, repeats, recurs, imitates and dou'les in relation to 9the uncann":$ To 'e more speci(ic, this thesis aims to inDuire into the nature o( the (igure o( the dou'le and to trace it within a 'roader literar" and philosophical conte+t, particularl" within the conte+t o( the uncann"$ Be(ore considering several representative literar" te+ts J /=illiam =ilson '" Edgar Allan #oe, /The >ellow =allpaper '" 5harlotte #er&ins Filman and the nonIcanonical
1-

(he

ark Hal$ '" Stephen !ing J this thesis will consider several and approaches to 9the dou'le:$

theories

11

" Der Doppelg/nger 01The Double23

"*$ &tto 4ank)s Study =hat Ernst Jetsch had to sa" in his short inDuir" into the phenomenon o( the uncann" has also some relevance as regards the present thesis$ %ntellectual uncertaint" a'out whether an inanimate o'ject can come to li(e 8one o( the causes o( the (eeling o( the uncann"; is closel" connected to the idea o( ones dou'le as emerging (rom a mirror or a shadow, or indeed as 'eing alive in a painting$ These ideas appear to have 'een plenti(ul throughout various cultures$ The dou'le as a cultural phenomenon is the concern o( <tto *an&s stud" er

o,,elg2nger 89The Dou'le:;$ <tto *an& traces the moti( in collective ps"cholog", and, at a certain point, his stud" almost assumes the character o( ethnological research$ ?owever, this is not un(ounded$ As he sa"s, man" superstitions are connected

with ones shadow or mirror image, which is the (irst stage o( the development o( the concept o( the dou'le$ To illustrate, consider 'rie(l" some &e" 'elie(s o( earlier cultures that appear in *an&s er o,,elg2nger$ The Austrian and Ferman superstitions connected with 5hristmas Eve or )ew >ears Eve sa" that i(, '" candle light, "our shadow does not have a head or i( "ou do not have a shadow, "ou will die within the "ear$ %n the Ferman lands, i( "ou step on
13

"our own shadow "ou will die J at least the rather comical superstition ran$ And i( "ou see "our shadow dou'led during a Twel(th night, "ou will die as well$ The connection o( shadow and death is Duite o'vious$ According to another, during ones hour o( death, a mans genius appears and stands or wal&s ne+t to ones shadow$-2 Slowl", the shadow 'ecame associated with the dou'le$ There are countless 'elie(s that, i( mans dou'le is wounded, the man will 'e wounded as well$ *an& mentions an %ndian 'elie( that an enem" can 'e eradicated i( his picture or shadow is stung into the heart,1A calling to mind vooIdoo practices that are perhaps 'etter &nown to contemporar" readers$ As the a'ove illustrates, the dou'le is conceived o( as i( it were a vital e+ternal part o( ones 'od"H and also, as .reud remar&s, the dou'le is an uncann" har'inger o( death$ 8,, 30B; %ncestuous copulation and adulterous moti(s o(ten appear in stories a'out the dou'le, especiall" where someones love is at sta&e$ The case o( the 'i'lical conception is interesting, as some church (athers in their translation and interpretation o( (he &e' (esta"ent write /The ?ol" Spirit will come upon "ou, and the power o( the Most ?igh will overshadow "ou$ There is even a (ear among some primitives that a shadow can (ecundate a woman the shadow, thus, wor&s as a s"m'ol o( potenc"$ Losing
-2

<tto *an&,

er

3,,elg2nger: Eine ,s%choanal%stische .tudie , 8LepEig

%nternationaler #s"choanal"sticher Serlag, -210; @6J@2$

1A

<tto *an&,

er

3,,elg2nger, B1$

14

ones shadow or dou'le will there(ore, (or ps"choanal"sis, constitute a s"m'ol (or the castration comple+$ Another common ps"choanal"tic interpretation is that a dou'le haunting a person is pla"ing the role o( his conscience$ There is also a move (rom the shadow to the soul in primitive 'elie(s$ The research into the (ol& 'elie(s Duoted '" *an&s shows that the description o( the soul is derived (rom ones mirror images in water$ Dou'tless, the origin can also 'e traced to stories, such as the (a'le o( )arcissus, which com'ine death, the dou'le, and se+ualit"$

"*" 'arcissism The Free& m"th o( )arcissus 8and, later, its interpretation '" .reud; is also used '" *an& to e+plain the phenomenon o( the dou'le$ The m"th tells the stor" o( a "oung man who (alls in love with his own image re(lected on the waters sur(ace$ ?e dies when he realiEes that this love cannot 'e reDuited$ Li&e the m"th, ps"choanal"sis sees 9the dou'le:, narcissism and death as 'eing mutuall" connected$ #s"choanal"sis teems with oppositions and dualities, and, as such, is 'ased on them, as it sees mans mind as a set o( (orces struggling against one another$ %n the essa" entitled /The Theme o( the Three 5as&ets, .reuds anal"sis couples death with love$ %t deals with Duite a (reDuent literar" scene o( three choices, such as the one (ound in 4ing Lear or in the Free& m"th a'out #aris$ The 'est choice usuall" happens to 'e the most su'dued$ Although /ps"choIanal"sis will tell us that
10

in dreams dum'ness is a common representation o( death, 1- the unattractive choice alwa"s turns out to 'e the most 'eauti(ul and loving$ =hile the natural inevita'ilit" o( death 8em'edded in the m"ths o( (ate; is recogniEed, man strives to trans(orm it, '" means o( his imagination, into its opposing (orce which is love$ .reud calls this phenomenon 9reaction (ormation:$11 A similar movement can 'e o'served in another o( .reuds essa"s entitled /<n )arcissism An %ntroduction$ %t distinguishes two li'idinal (orces in a mature man$ These are the 9o'jectI li'ido: and the 9egoIli'ido:, and are indistinguisha'le in the earl" stages o( ones li(e$ .reud de(ines 9narcissism: as the condition when ones o'ject li'ido turns towards ones own ego$ To a certain degree, it can 'e (ound in ever"oneH o'jects which have to 'e given up during ones childhood are introjected into the ego$ /The trans(ormation o( an erotic o'jectIchoice into an alteration o( the ego is also a method '" which the ego can o'tain control over the idH13 onl" when the trans(ormation is e+cessive does it 'ecome pathological$ A 9)arcissus: is impotent in the sense that he is incapa'le o( loving$ ?is pleasure is derived onl" (rom 'eing loved, as this

1-

Sigmund .reud, /The Theme o( the Three 5as&ets, (he -reud 5eader, ed$

#eter Fa" 8London Sintage, -262; 0-B$

11

/The Theme o( the Three 5as&ets, 01A$ Sigmund .reud, /The Ego and the %d, (he -reud 5eader, ed$ #eter Fa",

13

8London Sintage, -262; @32$

1@

state raises his sel(Iregard /The return o( the o'jectIli'ido to the ego and its trans(ormation into narcissism represents, as it were, a happ" love once more$ 14 <n the other hand, the one who

loves is a hum'le person with low sel(IregardH and he a'andons a part o( his narcissism$ A narcissist, 'eing incapa'le o( loving other o'jects, 'alances on the verge o( death, as he is una'le to secure sel(Icontinuation 8through his progen";$ The trajector" o( the development o( the dou'le starts with the dou'le as insurance against the destruction o( the ego, 'ut the stage o( the denial o( death is later graduall" su'stituted '" the dou'le as the har'inger o( death$ Thus, *an& asserts, the 9love: and 9death: meanings mergeH and the dialectics o( the two opposing (orces seem to render the (act that the dou'le in stories is at once loved and hated Duite understanda'le$ The narcissistic t"pe o( character is e+emplaril" portra"ed in (he *icture o$ orian Gra%, (or e+ample$ )ot onl" does Dorian

indulge in his own 'eaut", 'ut, li&e )arcissus, he is also una'le to loveH10 he can o'tain pleasure onl" (rom 'eing loved$ >et, he is ver" attractive man, which is another '"Iproduct o( narcissism,

14

Sigmund .reud, /<n )arcissism An %ntroduction, (he -reud 5eader, ed$

#eter Fa", 8London Sintage, -262; 0@-$

10

/9% wish % could love,: cried Dorian Fra" with a deep note o( pathos in his

voice$ 9But % seem to have lost the passion and (orgotten the desire$ % am too much concentrated on m"sel($ M" own personalit" has 'ecome a 'urden to me$: M<scar =ilde, (he *icture o$ orian Gra%, 8London #enguin, -224; 134$N

1B

as those who have renounced some o( their own egoIli'ido are (ascinated '" people li&e Dorian$ )arcissism is thought '" .reud to 'e the 'asis o( paranoia as well$ The voices paranoiacs hear and the (eelings o( 'eing watched that the" e+perience could 'e attri'uted to the wor& o( the conscienceH so could the dou'le accompan"ing un(ortunate literar" characters$ The narcissistic tendencies o( a man (orm the ego ideal in his mind 8which is a su'stitute (or the narcissism o( the childhood;, and 9conscience: seems to 'e the power that watches over the actual ego and measures its per(ormance '" the ideal one$1@ This special agenc" which e+ercises censorship over the ego might dissociate (rom it, which can result in pathological cases o( delusions o( 'eing watched$ There even seems to 'e a &ind o( dou'ling o( conscience itsel(, as .reud de(ines the 9superego: 8a term introduced with the

topographical model o( mind; as consisting o( two parts the ego ideal and conscience$ %t is the wor& o( parents, societ", (riends, and environment that (orms it$ #aranoid patients revolt against the superego and tr" to escape its in(luence J to 'rea& through and li'erate themselves$

"*,

acan)s Mirror

<tto *an&s stud" suggests that the dou'le has its predecessors in the superstitions connected with mirrors$ As well as the

1@

/<n )arcissism, 00BJ002$

16

shadow, the mirror image re(ers to death and is also considered to 'e the em'odiment o( ones soul$ %t has 'ecome impossi'le to thin& a'out the mirror without recalling the wor& o( Lacan$ Be(ore his theories will 'e dealt with, one other philosopher 8or school o( philosoph";, whose theories had impact not onl" on Lacan, 'ut also on the theoriEing o( 9the uncann":, should 'e mentioned 'rie(l"$ Martin ?eidegger, the phenomenologist, inspired Lacan with his theor" o( 9project:, as he called it, which, in Sean ?omers words, argues that As human 'eings we alwa"s perceive the world (rom a speciTc situation and our most (undamental desire is to transcend or surpass that situation$ M$$$N ?uman su'jectivit" or what we call e+istence involves this constant process o( projecting onesel( out on to the world and into the (uture$ .or ?eidegger, there(ore, human consciousness is not an inner world o( thoughts and images 'ut a constant process o( projecting outside, or what he called /e+Isistence$1B

The phenomenological concept o( the sel( as sel(Iprojection and perception '" the others helped Lacan theoriEe in his own wa" a'out the (ormation o( ones sel($ This is how JacDuesIAllain Miller sums up the most important aspect o( Lacans theor" /?e too&

the unconscious not as a container, 'ut rather as something e+I

1B

Sean

?omer,

5outledge

/ritical

(hinkers:

Jac6ues

Lacan,

8London

*outledge, 1AA@; 1A$

12

sistent J outside itsel( J that is connected to a su'ject who is a lac& o( 'eing$16 Lacanian mirror stage theor" e+plains a childs (ormation o( sel(Iconsciousness and o( its own sel($ The age o( -6 months, at which the mirror stage ta&es place, is roughl" congruent with the .reudian stage o( primar" narcissism$ %t is particularl" pertinent to the present discussion o( the uncann", as it deals with alienation, the sel(, and the other$ B" means o( the dou'le, one acDuires ones ego and perceives onesel( as an autonomous and compact sel( J the 9%:$ .or this to happen, the child needs to see itsel( the wa" others see himUherH the mirror 8not alwa"s literall" a mirror; and the childs dou'le in it are the vehicles o( this egoI (ormation$ The 'iggest draw'ac& o( the process appears to 'e the (act that the mirrorIimage is con(used with the actual sel(H and, thus, in (act, the other ta&es the place o( the sel($ .or Lacan, the ego is simultaneousl" the conseDuence o( the image o( wholeness and o( alienation$ At this point, some (urther aspects o( the lacanian mirror stage must 'e considered in the conte+t o( the dou'le$ Mladen Dolars article on Lacan and 9the uncann":, entitled /9% Shall Be with >ou on >our =eddingI)ight: Lacan and the ,ncann" sums up the concept o( the dou'le (rom the Lacanian
16

JacDuesIAllain Miller, /An %ntroduction to Seminars % and %%,

5eading

.e"inars ) and )): Lacans 5eturn to -reud, eds$ *$ .eldstein, B$ .in& and M$ Jaanus, 8)ew >or& S,)> #ress, -22@; --$

3A

perspective ver" well$ Dolar e+plores the (ollowing pro'lem ?ow are we to account (or the (act that the dou'le /carries out the repressed desires springing (rom the %dH and he also, with a malevolence t"pical o( the superego, prevents the su'ject (rom carr"ing out his desires J all at one and the same timeR 12 Dolar also approaches the pro'lem through the m"th o( )arcissus, 'ut he includes Tiresiass prophec", which sa"s, that )arcissus should grow to a ripe age i( he does not &now his sel($ The m"th, Dolar argues, descri'es the alienation that ta&es place during the mirror stage$ As he suggests, with the recognition o( onesel( in the mirror, a loss o( sel(I'eing occursH and thus, this instance o( dou'ling implies castration So the dou'ling, in the simplest wa", entails the loss o( that uniDueness that one could enjo" in ones sel(I 'eing, 'ut onl" at the price o( 'eing neither an ego nor a su'ject$ The dou'ling cuts one o(( (rom a part, the most valua'le part, o( ones 'eing, the immediate sel( 'eing o( 7ouissance$ 8Dolar -3;

=hat one actuall" loses according to Lacan is 9the real:, which 'ecomes su'stituted (or 9the imaginar": and 9the s"m'olic:H one loses the o'jective realit" that cannot 'e seen in the mirror$ As one 'ecomes constituted as an image, the real J as ing J 'ecomes hidden to onesel($ <ne can see ones e"es

'ut not the gaEe J to (ollow Lacans e+ample o( the presentation

12

Mladen Dolar, /9% Shall Be with >ou on >our =eddingI)ight: Lacan and the Octo8er

,ncann",

06 *endering the *eal 8Autumn, -22-; -1$

3-

o( the missing o'ject$ As Dolar puts it, /the dou'le is the same as me plus M$$$N the invisi'le part o( 'eing added to m" image 8Dolar -3;$ The two mirror stage events o( integration and alienation are con(licting (orcesH there would alwa"s 'e a sense o( rivalr" 'etween the two$ The other in the mirror constitutes the persons e+istence J it guarantees his wholeness, and it is how others see him J 'ut it also ta&es awa" his autonom"$ The untranslata'le term 97ouissance:, which was alread" mentioned, is another o( Lacans &e" ideas and means roughl" 9enjo"ment:H a &ind o( enjo"ment in which pleasure and pain coe+ist together$ %t could 'e said that it is pleasure induced '" pain$ ,nli&e the .reudian pleasure which is the degree o( nonIenjo"ment 8the lower level o( tension the 'etter;, 7ouissance goes 'e"ond the pleasure principle and commands us to enjo" limitlessl"$ Jouissance see&s to transgress the prohi'itions imposed upon mans desires$ According to Dolar, /the dou'le is alwa"s the (igure o( 7ouissance 8-3;$ ?e enjo"s the su'jects su((ering and is the cause o( it at the same time$ As he commits crimes in the su'jects name and enacts su'jects desires, he commands the 7ouissance 8-3;$

"*- The Double in iterature %n his e+hausting stud", *an&s also lists man" instances o( literar" wor&s which deal with the dou'le$ )aturall", the literature he is mostl" interested in comes (rom his own cultural
31

and linguistic milieu$ The section o( the present thesis dealing with /The Sandman has alread" o'served that E$T$A$ ?o((mann is the master o( the uncann"H and he is, dou'tless, ver" s&il(ul when it comes to the portra"al o( the dou'le$ As i( pa"ing homage to the writer, *an& starts the chapter on literature '" li&ening the Ferman (ilmma&er ?anns ?einE Ewers to ?o((mann Es ist &aum Ewei(elha(t, daV Ewers, der moderne E$ Th$ A$ ?o((mann, wie man ihn nennt, Eu seiner .ilmidee haupts7chlich von seinem literarischen Ahn und Meister inspiriert wurde, wenngleich noch andere Wuellen und Ein(lXsse wir&sam gewesen sind$3A
3A

er

o,,elg2nger, -3$

An interesting thing happens here$ *an& uses the Ferman word 9 9'ei$elha$t:, which translates as 9dou'tless:$ The word is relevant to the pro'lem o( the dou'le, as it entails it in itsel($ The word indicates dou'ling, when the root o( the word 99'ei$el: 89dou't:; is 99'ei: 89two:;$ A short et"mological e+curse tells us that the Middle ?igh Ferman word 9 9':0vel# and the <ld ?igh Ferman 99':0$al: retain the re(erence$ The English 9dou'tless: has similar

connotations$ The entr" in the Online Et%"olog% ictionar% in(orms that the word

9dou't: comes (rom the earl" -3 th centur", (rom <ld .rench 9 douter: and (rom Latin 9du8itare:, which means 9to hesitate, waver in opinion:$ %t is also related to 9du8ius: 89uncertain:; and originall" means 9to have to choose 'etween two things:$ The word developed connotations with 9(ear: in <ld .rench and was passed on to English$ The I'I was restored in -4th centur" '" scri'es in imitation o( Latin, and replaced the <ld English 9 t'eogan: 8noun t'%nung;, (rom 9t'eon: 8two;, 9o( two minds: or the choice o( two implied in Latin du8itare$ The root o( Latin word du8itare has origins in duo 89two:;$ 9Dou'tless: J not to 'e in two minds J negates the dualit" and constitutes a singular sel( rather than schiEophrenic division$ Ewers draws

33

MThere is no dou't that Ewers, also called the modern E$ T$ A$ ?o((mann, has primaril" drawn on and 'een inspired '" the ideas (rom the wor&s o( his literar" (ore(ather and master, although, there have 'een also other sources and in(luences$ 8M" translation;N

The paragraph re(ers to Ewers as the (ollower, a (ilmI producing descendant o( E$T$A$ ?o((mann, who is, in turn, re(erred to as 9der Ahn: J the (ore(ather$ The English translation does not Duite catch all the nuances o( this Ferman word, which translates as the 9(ore(ather:, 'ut also leads to the word with the same root 92hnlich:$ ;hnlich means 9similar: in Ferman$ The (ilmIma&er, thus, almost 'ecomes the dou'le o( the (amous writerH he is mar&ed '" his name 8/the modern E$ T$ A$ ?o((man; and the similitude 8with re(erence to the past; is also implied$ The Duestion o( what it means to have someone elses name and to 'e li&e himUher must remain unanswered (or now, 'ut will 'e e+amined in the course o( the thesis$ Although er o,,elg2nger does not speci(icall" deal with

/The Sandman, there is no dou't that the theme o( the dou'le has a prominent place in the stor"$ There is the a'omina'le

law"er 5oppelius, who returns as the %talian 'arometer seller 5oppola to 'ring calamit" into )athaniels li(e a di((erent name, "et, the same ring to itH a di((erent occupation, "et the same (igure and (eatures$ The repetition within the structure and
inspiration (rom ?o((mannH he is and is not the other$ There is no dou't that ?o((mann is the source o( inspiration, 'ut the singularit" o( Ewers is ac&nowledged as well$ ?e is not just a ho((mannian dou'le$

34

moti(s strengthens the general sense o( dou'ling$ 3- Stories '" E$T$A$ ?o((mann that (eature the dou'le are man"H (or e+ample /The Folden .lower #ot, /A )ew >ears Eve Adventure, /Die Eli+iere des Teu(els$ /#rincessin Bram'illa, /Das Steinerne ?erE, Die Brautwahl and /Der Sandmann$ *ather than discussing them in detail, let us have a closer loo& at an overview o( some other dou'les in the conte+t o( the =estern literature$ %nterestingl", the emergence o( the moti( can 'e located into an almost e+act historical moment$ The literature o( *omanticism generates wor&s which (eature dou'les more than ever$ #erhaps the Ferman transcendental idealist philosoph", the especiall" wor&s o( ?egel, Schelling and .ichte, is accounta'le (or this phenomenon$
3-

%n /*omanticism J #s"choanal"sis J .ilm A

The dou'ling in ?o((manns stor" ta&es place on various levels$ Speech

utterances seem to (ind their dou'les in the course o( the stor"$ <ne o( )athaniels poems, (or e+ample, descri'es )athaniel and 5lara at the altar, when /5oppelius appears and touches 5laras lovel" e"es, which leap into )athaniels 'reast, 'urning and singeingH 5oppelius seiEes him and hurls him into a circle o( (lames, which is rotating with the speed o( a whirlwind$ 8-A1; Later, when )athaniel (inds 5oppola and SpalanEani wrestling (or <limpia and learns that she is an automaton, SpalanEani throws <limpias e"es onto )athaniels chest, which triggers a seiEure o( madness in )athaniel$ ?e cries /?e", he", he"L Spin, spin (ier" circleL 8--4;$ 5orrespondence o( the two images is stri&ing$ Also, when 5lara re(uses to accept )athaniels premonition, he calls her an 9automaton:, however, it turns out that he is una'le to recogniEe the real automaton J <limpia$

30

?istor" o( the Dou'le, .riedrich !ittler suggests that the emergence o( the dou'le in the literature o( classical

*omanticism occurred due to the spread o( literac" and the possi'ilit" o( identi(ication which the literature o( *omanticism o((ered to its readers$ To support his claim, !ittler considers a particular episode o( Foethes Wilhel" 1eisters A,,renticeshi, which (eatures an instance o( dou'ling and its description$ ?e concludes that the singularit" o( the e+perience o( literar" characters was discarded in (avour o( the hero as ever"man and o( the portra"al o( general characteristics applica'le to an"one %n this =ilhelm Meister we see our own selves, as did the count in the costumed nightmare on the so(aH we are not (roEen in panic, however, 'ut pleased and amaEed '" the magical (orce o( the enchanted mirror the poet holds up to us$31

As (ar as other wor&s o( 5ontinental literature are concerned, the dou'le appears, (or e+ample, in ?ans 5hristian Andersens tale /Shadow, Dosto"evs&"s /Brother !aramaEov and /The Dou'le, ?eines /*atcli((, and Maupassants /Le ?orla$ As regards English literature, it appears in various (orms in Sha&espeareH (or e+ample, in (he /o"ed% o$ Errors, which is 'ased on the #lautine comedies$ The moti(, perhaps also due to the in(luences (rom continental Ferman", 'ecomes ver" popular during English *omanticism as well$ *ossettis (amous etching
31

.riedrich !ittler, /*omanticism J #s"choanal"sis J .ilm A ?istor" o( the Literature, 1edia, )n$or"ation .%ste"s , ed$ John Johnson,

Dou'le,

8Amsterdam FYB Arts, -22B; 2A$

3@

depicts lovers who (aint when the" meet their dou'les$ #erhaps the 'est &nown short stor" in English literature with the superego t"pe o( dou'le as its main su'ject is Edgar Allan #oes /=illiam =ilson$ r. Jek%ll and 1r. H%de '" *$ L$ Stevenson is another

literar" inDuir" into the pro'lem o( the dou'le, this time, with an emphasis on schiEophrenia$ James Beatman, the (ictional

character (rom James ?oggs /Strange Letter o( a Lunatic, is also given a taste o( the dou'les impishness$ At the turn o( the 1A th centur", wor&s such as =ildes (he *icture o$ orian Gra% or his

short stor" /.isherman and his Soul appeared$ Joseph 5onrads /Secret Sharer (rom -2-A (eatures a "oung captain who saves an escaped convict and graduall" (inds out that the" are not as di((erent as the" appear to 'e$ <n the contrar", it is through this man that the captain learns more a'out his own sel($ There are certain characteristics which are common (or most literar" dou'les$ The dou'les can usuall" 'e seen onl" '" their su'jects, and '" their actions the" shatter the su'jects lives$ There are o( two wa"s dou'les the operate, dou'les and the

contradictoriness

these

renders

(unction

am'iguous$ %n some te+ts, the dou'le realiEes the su'jects hidden desires and this t"pe o( dou'le could 'e said to represent the .reudian 9id:$ %n other te+ts, however, it acts as the consciousness J the superego J preventing the corrupted su'ject (rom acting according to his desires$ %( the answer (or this am'ivalence were to 'e sought (or among the superstitions *an&
3B

collected, a re(erence could 'e made to the 'elie( o( the inha'itants o( .iji, which sa"s that people have two souls one is good and coincides with the re(lection in the mirrorH the other one is evil and is em'odied '" the shadow$ The dou'le, thus, has two (orms to choose (rom$

"*5 Some Final Thoughts on the Double =hen thin&ing a'out the uncann" and the dou'le, the (act that the dou'le does not mean just the ph"sical em'odiment o( a human su'ject should 'e 'orn in mind$ This thesis will use the conventional notion o( the dou'le as a precursor to and a metaphor o( various &inds o( dou'ling$ The concept, thus,

represents dualit", am'iguit", opposition, and the other that the original su'jects entail in themselves$ The politics o( the dou'le have 'een at wor& throughout the histor" o( philosoph" dialectics, 'inaries, supplement, etc$ Deconstruction has managed to reveal the inherent semantic dualities within language, which, despite 'eing contradictor", coe+ist in a &ind o( s"m'iotic relationship and, what is more, overlap$ The" Duestion each other, 'ut the" also Duestion their own selves$ Thus, an"thing that deals with the uncann" inevita'l" appears to 'e constantl" turning 'ac& onto itsel($ .reud himsel( cannot do awa" with dualisms and constantl" introduces dou'ling$ The powers and instincts de(ined '" ps"choanal"sis are alwa"s 'oth contrar" to and inherent in one
36

another Eros and ThanatosH the ego and the idH having and not having a penisH and even dream censorship which, actuall", acts as the interpreter o( dreams$ #s"choanal"sis is, thus, 'oth

thin&ing in 'inaries and deconstructing itsel(H it alwa"s returns to itsel(, and the present thesis will 'e constantl" returning to ps"choanal"sis$ ?owever, using ps"choanal"tic methods can 'ring the researcher 'ac& to the discipline, sometimes in even more than a Duestioning manner$ %ts sel(Ire(erencing interpretative methods preclude other interpretations when the" practice the s"m'olic oneI(orIone su'stitution A tower represents the male

reproductive organ J it dou'les the penis J'eing di((erent and the same at once$ Thus, while appl"ing the ps"choanal"tic concepts in the process o( interpretation, the imperative to 'e war" o( the de(initive su'stitutions li&e those o( Marie Bonaparte must 'e o'served$33 Let me (inish this section in an anecdotal manner Thin&ing a'out the dou'le, % have stum'led upon an interesting article in a popular magaEine$ MLoo&ing 'ac& at the previous sentence, %
33

%n (he )nter,retation o$

rea"s, (or e+ample, .reud anal"ses a womans

dream in which she was una'le to put a candle into a candlestic&$ ?e automaticall" connects the candle with male genitals /An o8vious s%"8olis" 8m" italics; has here 'een emplo"ed$ The candle is an o'ject which e+cites the (emale genitalsH its 'eing 'ro&en, so that it does not stand upright, signi(ies impotence on the mans part 8it is not her $ault; M(he )nter,retation o$ trans$ A$ A$ Brill, 8London =ordsworth, -22B; 62N rea"s,

32

recogniEe, with amusement, 'ut also with a weird (eeling o( apprehension, that it reminds me o( a passage (rom .reuds /The ,ncann", which assumes and apologetic tone distancing .reud (rom the products o( the popular culture /%n the middle o( the isolation o( warItime a num'er o( the English .trand 1aga9ine (ell into m" handsH and, among other somewhat redundant matter $$$ $ 8,, 3@B;N The idea that struc& me was that, when we loo& into the mirror, we see ourselves in the past, as it ta&es -@Zs (or light to reach the e"e$ Though a seemingl" insigni(icant amount o( time, it still places us into the (uture, as it were$ =e are, thus, to understand that our sight perceives what was, rather than what is$ %t might 'e Duite a distur'ing notion$ The dou'le, either mirrored, pictured or even alive, will, thus, 'e positioned in the pastI(uture economics in relation to the perceiver$ =hat signi(icance, i( an", it might attain will also 'e one o( the concerns o( the present thesis$

4A

, (6illiam 6ilson): Father)s 'ame

As (ar as dou'ling in literature is concerned, #oes /=illiam =ilson is pro'a'l" not a novelt", "et, in a review o( /?owes MasDuerade, #oe accuses ?awthorne o( plagiarism$ )ot that ?awthorne would appropriate the moti( as his own, 'ut #oe (inds a stri&ing similarit" 'etween a scene concerning the dou'le in /=illiam =ilson and a one in /?owes MasDuerade$ 8=hich scene it was is irrelevant at this moment$; #oe certainl" would not have voiced this accusation had he &nown that ?awthorns short stor" was pu'lished a "ear 'e(ore /=illiam =ilsonL 34 %n this stor" (rom
34

Arthur ?o'son Wuinn, Edgar Allan *oe: A /ritical +iogra,h%, 8)ew >or& D$

Appleton I 5entur", -24-; 33@$ #oes li(e contains a lot o( uncann" material, and he does not hesitate to use it as an inspiration (or his gloom" writing$ #oes 'iograph" could 'e, thus, also convenientl" used to interpret his wor&s$ <tto *an&, (or e+ample, draws attention to the pathological conditions o( #oes mental health$ Shortl" a(ter his mothers death, largel" owing to grie(, #oe starts to drin& a lot and later he even indulges in opium$ A(ter the death o( his wi(e, #oe su((ers (rom depression and (its o( an+iet"$ #oes pathograph

.erdinand #ro'st, writes *an&, o'served the (emininit" and ase+ualit" o( #oes (antasies, and he also descri'ed #oe as egocentric 8*an& 01;$ %n the light o( #ro'sts o'servations, the (act that ps"choanal"sis sees a connection 'etween narcissism, paranoia, and homose+ualit" might provide even some more interpretative options$ The condition o( #oes mental health might have had a certain in(luence on his writing$ The an+iet" and (ear, namel" o( 'eing 'uried alive, and the <Gr=8elsucht: M9o'sessiveIcompulsive disorder: 8%t signi(ies the

4-

#oes li(e, #oe is to ?awthorne as the su'ject is to his mirror

imageH what he thought he was the originator o(, preceded him$ Due to the perceptive (aculties, a dou'le tends to 'e displaced in time$ So, what is so peculiar a'out /=illiam =ilsonR The epigraph (rom 5ham'erlains *harronida, hovering a'ove the 'od" o( /=illiam =ilson, spea&s (or itsel( and prophesises the su'ject matter o( #oes stor" /=hat sa" o( itR

=hat sa" 5<)S5%E)5E grim, U That spectre in m" path$ 30 The

e+cessive worr" a'out the circumstances o( ones li(e$ %t is characteriEed '" distressing repetitive thoughts, impulses or images that are intense,

(rightening, a'surd, or unusual$ These thoughts are (ollowed '" ritualiEed actions that are usuall" 'iEarre and irrational$ These ritual actions, &nown as compulsions, help reduce an+iet" caused '" the individuals o'sessive thoughts;N could 'e the source o( the vivid gloominess and uncanniness o( his (iction$ Even in /The ,ncann" .reud o'serves that /ever" o'sessional neurotic has 'een a'le to relate analogous e+periences 8uncann" coincidences; 8,, 3@1; %t has 'een suggested that /=illiam =ilson is, to an e+tent, an auto'iographical piece o( writing$ The passages descri'ing =illiam =ilsons schoolIli(e include a detailed description o( Sto&e )ewington Manor ?ouse School, which #oe attended in his "outhH the "oung #oes teacher *everend Brans'" also appears in the stor" under the ver" same name Dr$ Brans'"$ ?ow did the real *everend Brans'" (eel when he (ound out a'out his (ictional dou'leR <ne might also consider the a'ilit" o( mimetic arts in relation to primitive superstitions concerning capturing a picture o( a sel( in connection with the 9usurpation: o( the soul and death$
30

E$ A$ #oe, /=illiam =ilson, .elected (ales: Edgar Allan *oe, 8London

#enguin, -224; 2@$ .urther page re(erences will 'e given parentheticall" in the

41

epigraph hangs a'ove the te+t, as i( it did and did not 'elong to it at the same time$ %t is the 'eginning 'ut also the concluding statement, which, as i( on a tom' or a gravestone, emphasiEes the sense o( (inalit"H it indicates death$ Although located at the 'eginning, it is the general dictum, a ma+imH this is what /=illiam =ilson is a'out$ =hat is the grim conscience againR %t is a spectre [ that is an apparition, a phantom, or a ghost, especiall" one o( a terri("ing nature or aspect$ But the spectrum o( the meanings o( the words does not end here$ The O>$ord English ictionar%

provides the (ollowing entries /-$ An unreal o'ject o( thoughtH a phantasm o( the 'rainH 1$ An o'ject or source o( dread or terrorH 3$ A (aint shadow or imitation o( somethingH 4$ <ne o( the images or sem'lances supposed '" the Epicurean school to emanate (rom corporeal thingsH 0$ An image or phantom produced '" re(lection or other natural cause$ The word, thus, em'races the nature o( the dou'le as a (earsome sem'lance emanating, mimic&ing and haunting its su'ject$ The epigraph is the appropriate (orm to start with, 'ecause the hero pronounces himsel( /dead to the world 8==, 2@; at the 'eginning o( the stor", and the (ollowing paragraphs contain a lamentation a'out death, whose approaches are (orerun '" a shadow$ The stor" itsel( is notorious A dissipated man is (ollowed '" his dou'le, who manages to thwart all the acts o( the heros 'ad
main 'od" o( the te+t, a''reviated as /== where appropriate$

43

will$ The man is driven mad '" the (atalit" o( the apparition and the impossi'ilit" o( escaping its surveillance$ At last, he &ills his dou'leH 'ut, as he does so, he sees that he has actuall" wounded himsel($ ?owever notorious the stor" might 'e, it raises certain important issues connected with the dou'le and will serve as an apt introduction into the (urther research$ /Let me call m"sel(, (or the present, =illiam =ilson 8==, 2@;, the narration starts$ .or the presentR This certainl" suggests that there was a past which was, perhaps, assigned to a di((erent name$ Be(ore the name, that is, 'e(ore 9=illiam =ilson:, there was someone elseH the proper name mar&s the turning point$ =hat is so haunting a'out itR %t is a signi(ier which enslaves the signi(ied within its (rame o( re(erence Thence(orward m" voice was a household lawH and at an age when (ew children have a'andoned their leadingIstrings, % was le(t to the guidance o( m" own will, and 'ecame, in all 'ut name, the master o( m" own actions$ 8==, 2@;

To paraphrase, he did what he willedH 'ut, as (ar as the name was concerned, he was una'le to determine the course o( his li(e an"more$ The dou'le, who possesses the ver" same name, ta&es control over it$ =ilson is not its sole owner 'ut onl" a sharer$ /The uncann" is the crisis o( the proper it entails a critical

distur'ance o( what is proper 8(rom the Latin ,ro,rius, 9own:;,3@ reads the sentence (rom the opening paragraph o( )icholas
3@

)icholas *o"le, (he !ncann%: An )ntroduction, -$

44

*o"les 'oo& (he !ncann%$ =hat should denote singularit" involves multiple re(erents$ =illiam =ilson is dispossessed o( his nameH it is his own and strange to him at the same time$ The name is alread" a dou'le in itsel( the (irst name and the

surname o( =illiam =ilson have the same root and mirror each otherH and the" also mirror that which the" contradict J the will o( the su'ject$ 9The present: which =ilson mentions, is a(ter he has &illed his dou'le, the event that made him di((erent J 'oth singular and dead to the world$ As various passages in the te+t show, =ilson is negativel" o'sessed with his name$ =hat is more, he is panicIstric&en when he hears it pronounced % had alwa"s (elt aversion to m" uncourtl" patron"mic, and its ver" common, i( not ple'eian praenomen$ The words were venom in m" ear$ M$$$N % (elt angr" with him 8second =illiam =ilson; (or 'earing the name and dou'l" disgusted with the name 'ecause a stranger 'ore it$ 8==, -A3;

The patron"mic is not pleasing to =illiam =ilson at all$ Besides 'eing common and vulgar, the name o( the (ather s"m'olicall" reminds him o( the threat o( castration, i( we are to 'elieve .reud and Lacan$ %t is the raised hand o( the (ather which pla"s the role o( superego and constantl" watches over the desires and acts o( the su'ject$ )ot onl" is =ilson under the continual surveillance o( his own name, 'ut its degree is also dou'led '" =ilsons 'eing shadowed '" another 'earer o( the same name$
40

Let us return to the 'eginning and to the act o( naming 8/Let me call m"sel(O;$ The lines (ollowing the naming ritual 89the appellation:; almost recall the lamentation o( ?amlet, though, this is largel" due to the use o( the word 9sullied: 8so much spelled and misspelled in various editions o( and

commentaries on Ha"let3B; The (air page now l"ing 'e(ore me need not 'e sullied with m" real appellation$ This has 'een alread" too much an o'ject (or the scorn J (or the horror J (or the detestation o( m" race$ To the uttermost regions o( the glo'e have not the indignant winds 'ruited its unparalleled in(am"R <h, outcast o( all outcasts most a'andonedL J to the earth art thou not (orever deadR to its honours, to its (lowers, to its golden aspirationsR J and a cloud, dense, dismal and limitless, does it not hang eternall" 'etween th" hopes and heavenR 8==, 2@;

B" not appealing to his real name, =illiam =ilson wants to spare his true &in (rom detestationH a(ter all, he is di((erent to the world now$ >et, it could 'e suspected that the proper name which was 'e(ore the present would have also deIproperiEed and wor&ed in a similar manner as the (ictitious one does$ The te+t shares more similarities with Ha"let. %n the course o( =ilsons stor", the Sha&espearean theme o( the wounded ear is reIenacted, as in the alread" Duoted passage /The words were venom in m" ears$ The most telling instance (rom the enormous num'er o( the earIwounding events in Ha"let is that o( 5laudius
3B

/< that this too too solid (lesh would melt, U Thaw and resolve itsel( into a

dew, U$$$ ?ow wear", stale, (lat and unpro(ita'le U Seem to me all the uses o( this worldL 8?amlet, -$1$-12J-34;

4@

&illing his 'rother, ?amlets (ather, '" means o( pouring poison into his ear$ The poison 'ecomes a metaphor (or malign words which hurt when the" enter the ear and hit the ultrathin t"mpanum$ .or =ilson, the most pain(ul word is his own name J not onl" 'ecause it is an uncourtl" name, 'ut 'ecause an uncann" cop" o( himsel( 8a 9spectre:, in (act, li&e ?amlets (ather; pronounces it$ To hear onesel( spea& is pro'a'l" the strangest thing in the world, as Derrida implies in .,eech and *heno"ena.?@ /%s that reall" me, is there not something wrong with the recorderR Listening to ones own voice in a recording o(ten arouses disgust and repulsion$ The resonation within the human s&ull trans(orms the sound which is coming out o( ones vocal tractH and, thus, one is una'le to hear the actual sound properties o( ones own voice$ Although the wounding words come (rom mouth o( the dou'le, it is, in (act, =ilson who spea&s$ =hen the dou'le spea&s, =ilson hears him as he would hear himsel( (rom a tape recorder$ %t is him spea&ingH "et, the voice is e+ternal 8'ut also internal; to his 'od" the dou'le supplements, 'eing 'oth outside and inside /M" louder tones were, o( course, unattempted, 'ut then the &e", J it was identicalH and his singular whisper, it grew the ver" echo o( m" own 8==, -A4;$
36

JacDues Derrida, .,eech and *heno"ena and Other Essa%s on Husserls o$ .igns, trans$ David Allison 8Evanston, %llinois )orthwestern

(heor%

,niversit" #ress, -2B3; B2$

4B

=hile the Lacanian mirror image constitutes the sel( onl" as mediated through the e+ternalit" o( the world J through something that is outside ones 'od" and inaugurates the dialectics o( wholeness and otherness J the voice is the pure (orm o( sel(Ia((irmation$ %t is the primar" means o( sel(Iperception and comes (or an in(ant even 'e(ore sight$ Despite 'eing distorted within ones head, it alread" comes in its wholeness$ The e"e can perceive onl" individual parts o( the 'od", and the mirror image is onl" a mediated picture o( the sel(, which comes with certain losses$ %t is impossi'le to see ones sight, 'ut inevita'le to hear ones voice /The voice is consciousness 32$ #erhaps this is what gives the voice o( the dou'le such a gruesome characteristic$ %t provides the image o( the sel( in its completeness$ =ilsons dou'les vocal cords cannot produce loud sounds and, thus, produces onl" a whisper J a distorted version o( the normal voice at a lower level o( volume$ %t is the same product o( the voice 'ut produces di((erenceH it conve"s an air o( secrec"$ .irst o( all, it is a speci(icall" targeted act o( speech and is designated onl" (or the speci(ic person to understand$ %t 'orders on silence and on sound at the same time$ The echo o( =ilsons voice, the en(ee'led imitation, is a (orm o( secret code J a language J comprehensi'le to an"one, 'ut the two o( them$ %t is enough to whisper the name 9=illiam =ilson: to wa&e the
32

.,eech and *heno"ena and Other Essa%s on Husserls (heor% o$ .igns , 6A$

46

repulsionH the proper 'ecomes a common one

=illiam, willH

=ilson, the son o( =ill$ %n a rather o'scene wa", the phallus could 'e recalled here$ Sha&espearean parallels might remind one o( the (amous sonnet which pla"s on the meanings o( the word 9will:$4A The imaginar" phallus J the authorit" o( the (ather, the s"m'ol o( the threat o( castration, and prohi'ition J is inscri'ed in =ilsons name$ Thus, not onl" is it one o( the most common names, 'ut it also carries the 'urden o( phallogocentric universalism$ =ilson is haunted '" the (igure o( his (ather just li&e ?amlet is$ The constant supervision seems to descri'e the

relationship 'etween the ego, the id, and the superego$ The topographical model o( the mind proposed '" .reud in the -21As altered the strict division 'etween the conscious and the unconscious and introduced mechanisms which per(orm di((erent tas&sH 'ut, rather than 'eing separated, these overlap in some parts$ )ow the revised version has a part o( the ego located within the id and the superego stretching over 'oth o( them$ That is e+actl" the am'ivalent nature o( the dou'le$ The ego ideal J the superego J emerges as a part o( the ego, whose (unction has 'een to tone down the demands o( the id$ %t e+ercises power over the ego, and, thus, over the id as well$ Behind the origins o(
4A

Sha&espeares sonnet num'er -30 pla"s with the multiplicit" o( meanings o(

the wordUname 9will: /So thou 'eeing rich in Will adde to th" Will,U <ne will o( mine to ma&e th" large Will more$

42

the ego ideal, .reud asserts, lie the dissolution o( the <edipal comple+ and the identi(ication with the (ather$4- As he points out, the ego mastered the <edipal situation '" means o( the creation o( the ego ideal, which now carries out the moral censorship and judges the ego (or 'eing or not 'eing success(ul in managing the demands o( the id$ Deviations (rom the ideal per(ormance o( the ego are then (elt as guilt$41 )ot onl" is the ego ideal J the superego J (ormed through the in(luence o( parents and their prohi'itions 8especiall" the (athers;, 'ut it also re(lects general moral trends as the societ" an individual lives in (ormulates its own ta'oos$ Thus, the original =ilson could 'e seen as representing not so much the id, which is inclined to more primitive instincts and reDuires that its desires 'e (ul(illed, 'ut also the unconscious part o( the ego, which tones down and vents these reDuirements$ ?e is warring against the superego J represented '" his dou'le, which assesses his egos wor&

% have alread" more than once spo&en o( the disgusting air o( patronage which he assumed toward me, and o( his (reDuent o((icious inter(erence with m" will$ This inter(erence o(ten too& the ungracious character o( adviceH advice not openl" given, 'ut hinted or insinuated$ 8==, -A0J-A@;

4-

/The Ego and the %d, @32J@4-$ /The Ego and the %d, @43$

41

0A

The other =illiam =ilson inter(eres with the su'jects will and tries, mostl" unsuccess(ull", to manage his ego$ The dou'le, as the realit" principle agent, purports to stop the (low o( desires even 'e(ore the" are realiEed >et, at this distant da", let me do him the simple justice to ac&nowledge that % can recall no occasion when the suggestions o( m" rival were on the side o( those errors or (ollies M$$$N H that his moral sense, at least, i( not his general talents and worldl" wisdom, was (ar &eener than m" ownH and that % might, toI da", have 'een a 'etter and thus a happier man, had % less (reDuentl" rejected counsels em'odied in those meaning whispers which % then 'ut too cordiall" hated and too 'itterl" despised$ 8==, -A4J-A0;

At other times, he admonishes retrospectivel" and instigates the sense o( guilt$ This (unction is also per(ormed '" the (ather element in the name, which serves as a constant reproach and appeals to the conscience ,pon m" entering, he strode hurriedl" up to me, and, seiEing me '" the arm with a gesture o( petulant impatience, whispered the words /=illiam =ilson in m" ear$ % grew per(ectl" so'er in an instant$ 8==, -A6;

%( =ilson compared his dou'les voice to an echo 'e(ore, it was more than appropriate$ An echo J which the OE relates, is /an

e((ect that continues a(ter its cause has ceased J is the voice o( conscience, which remains a(ter the misdeed has 'een done$ %t is an uncann" remainder$ The onl" time =ilson is sa(e is at night$ <ne night, he decides to ta&e a closer loo& at his dou'le and creeps into his
0-

dou'les room in the 'oarding school$ The reason wh" he is sa(e is the (act that the other one is sleeping$ Another echo o( .reudian theor" can 'e heard here %t is in dreams where the unconscious is allowed to (ul(il its desires$ The restrictive mechanisms rest during the night and dreaming provides at least some space (or the cho&ed unconscious to voice itsel( % arose (rom 'ed, and, lamp in hand, stole through the wilderness o( narrow passages, (rom m" own 'edroom to that o( m" rival$ % had long 'een plotting one o( those illInatured pieces o( practical wit at his e+pense in which % had hitherto 'een so uni(orml" unsuccess(ul$ %t was m" intention, now, to put m" scheme into operation and % resolved to ma&e him (eel the whole e+tent o( malice with which % was im'ued$ 8==, -A@;

The words, care(ull" woven together '" #oe, reveal the sl" movements o( these unconscious desires which are tr"ing to penetrate through the 9narrow passages: o( the censoring we' o( the ego$ >et, =ilson is una'le to carr" out his plansH when he reaches his dou'les room, the mere sight o( the (amiliar (ace and the uncann" (eeling it arouses prevent him (rom carr"ing out an" mischie($ Even though the unconscious parts o( ps"che a enjo" certain degree o( (reedom during the night, the" are una'le to 'rea& the limits set '" the guardian ego ideal, which e+ercises censorship even at night$ During the da", =ilson then e+periences the (ull range o( its /inscruta'le t"rann", (rom which /to the ver" ends o( the earth he (led in vain 8==, --4;$

01

At this point, a return to the sentences o( the (irst paragraph will provide insight into some other am'ivalent (eatures o( the dou'le <h, outcast o( all outcasts most a'andonedL J to the earth art thou not (orever deadR to its honours, to its (lowers, to its golden aspirationsR J and a cloud, dense, dismal and limitless, does it not hang eternall" 'etween th" hopes and heavenR 8==, 2@;

The locus o( =ilsons e+istence is suspendedH his state is unde(ined, as he seems to 'e hanging 'etween two worlds$ This is what he is without the dou'le he has &illedH parado+icall", it is precisel" the nature o( the dou'le itsel($ This recalls Derridas concept o( 9h"men: descri'ed in /The Dou'le Session ?"men as a limit which separates the desire and the memor", piercing and nonIpiercing, the present and the (uture$43 ?"men designates the area o( nonIe+istenceH it is a vacuum where an event is alwa"s a'out to ta&e place, 'ut does notH it represents the inde(inite 9hanging: with a nonIceasing threat o( (alling, a suspensionH it is the propert" o( 'oth worlds and has a medial (unction$ At the same time, it is the 'oundar" that must not 'e crossed in order (or the care(ull" 'alanced coe+istence to 'e maintained$ =illiam =ilson hangs, as he sa"s, in 'etween hopes and heaven Ja &ind o( lim'o, a h"menIli&e space$ ?e is much li&e 5oleridges ancient mariner suspended in

43

JacDues Derrida, /The Dou'le Session,

isse"ination, trans$ Bar'ara

Johnson, 8London Athlone, -26-; 1A2J1-3$

03

a water" grave, and the /outcast o( all outcasts perhaps, con(ined 'etween drin&ing and nonIdrin&ing, living and 'eing dead$ This is a(ter the dou'le has 'een &illed, 'ut such is the relationship o( the su'ject to his dou'le in general, and it is o'serva'le almost in all cases o( dou'ling /The (eelings toward

him M$$$N (ormed a motle" and heterogeneous admi+tureH J some petulant animosit", which was not "et hatred, some esteem, more respect, much (ear, with a world o( uneas" curiosit" $$$ =ilson and m"sel( were the most insepara'le o( companions 8==, -A1;$ The same applies to the ego, id, and superego, which (loat (reel" within and without one another$ #arado+icall", the removal o( the other does not cancel this state, 'ecause 'oth poles o( the h"men economics are a((ected$ So (ar, it has 'een asserted that there operates a &ind o( a h"menIli&e e+istence which unites the two oppositesH it is suspended somewhere 'etween love and hate, the inner and the outer, the conscious and the unconscious$ %t, thus, essentiall" implies the uncann", which is 'oth the (amiliar and the un(amiliar$ ?"men is the representation o( something that did not ta&e place$ So, is the dou'le realR %s it not just a (orm o( hallucinationR As alread" mentioned the dou'le can o(ten 'e seen onl" '" the su'ject o( dou'ling % had 'ut one consolation J in the (act that the imitation, apparentl", was noticed '" m"sel( alone, and that % had to endure onl" &nowing and sarcastic smiles o( m" namesa&e himsel($ 8==, -A4;
04

<r That the school, indeed, did not (eel his design, perceive its accomplishment, and participate in his sneer, was, (or man" an+ious months, a riddle % could not solve$ 8==, -A4;

<(ten the other =illiam =ilson appears unseen, mu((led in a cloa&, hidden in a dar& corner, or covering his (ace with a mas&$ The character o( his voice, as said 'e(ore, also 'alances on the verge o( presence and a'sence$ Be(ore the clima+ o( the stor" is reached and the h"men pierced, another epigraph must 'e considered$ This time, it is the epigraph '" Joseph Flanville which is suspended a'ove /Ligeia, another o( #oes short stories And the will therein lieth, which dieth not$ =ho &noweth the m"steries o( the will, with its vigourR .or Fod is 'ut a great will pervading all things '" nature o( its intentness$ Man does not "ield himsel( to the angels, nor unto death utterl", save through the wea&ness o( his (ee'le will$44

=illiam =ilson was le(t to /the guidance o( his own will 8==, 2@;$ As an individual he could not 'e restricted '" an"thing 'ut his own will and his own name$ ?owever, the restriction also depended on the 'are will to diso'e" the name J the will to posses the a'solute power$ Although the name is something that

44

E$ A$ #oe, /Ligeia, .elected (ales: Edgar Allan *oe, 8London #enguin, -224;

46$

00

cannot 'e escaped 8once acDuired, the re(erent 'ears all its connotations;, there is alwa"s an implied possi'ilit" 40$ Although 9h"men: alread" means marriage and uni(ication 4@, piercing o( h"men is usuall" demanded (or the marriage to 'e

consummated$ The act o( piercing instigates a (atal (usion 'etween the (ormerl" uni(ied opposing (orces$ %t mar&s the onset o( the total coalescence o( the desire and its (ul(ilment, the present and the (uture$ %n the case o( =illiam, the (irst indication o( piercing was whispering J ear wounding J which strove to esta'lish the a'solute unit" 'etween the ego and superego /Satis(ied with having produced in m" 'osom the intended e((ect, he seemed to chuc&le in secret over the sting he had in(licted 8==, -A4;$ The
40

Li&e the promise, which alwa"s implies the possi'ilit" o( not 'eing &ept, the

name comes with the inherent possi'ilit" o( de("ing it$ ?owever, the manner in which =ilson attempts to reIproperiEe it dooms the stor" to end catastrophicall"$ The shared name also 'rings us 'ac& to the primitive 'elie(s which *an& descri'es in er o,,elg2nger$

#rimitive cultures 'elieved that the name was the essential part o( ones personalit" J as it has 'een shown, it certainl" is in =illiam =ilsons case$ The 'elie(, however, also includes the conviction that i( there are two children o( the same name in one (amil", one o( them has to die$ The death o( one o( them is inevita'le$ This might also 'e at the cru+ o( =illiam =ilsons pho'ia$ M/#erhaps it was this latter trait in =ilsons conduct, conjoined with our identit" o( name $$$ which set a(loat the notion that we were 'rothers$ 8==, -A1;N
4@

/The Dou'le Session, 1A2$

0@

second, real instance o( piercing is the act o( murder, which destro"s the coe+istence o( ego and superego and, thus, is responsi'le (or the (act that the desire o( the su'ject and its (ul(ilment will not 'e prevented (rom immediate merging$ <nl" through each other can these two concepts 'e de(ined a desire is a desire onl" as long as its (ul(ilment is not achieved$ The (inal scene o( /=illiam =ilson recalls the Lacanian theor" o( the mirrorIstage$ =ilson draws his rival into an empt" antecham'er and &ills him$ ?e runs to secure the door, 'ut when he returns, the room loo&s somewhat di((erent and the

materialit" o( the dead dou'le is gone$ %nstead, as he approaches a 'ig mirror, which he did not notice 'e(ore, he is met '" his mirror image$ The dou'le, no longer whispering, spea&s thus >ou have conDuered, and % "ield$ >et hence(orward art thou also dead J dead to the =orld, to ?eaven and to ?opeL %n me didst thou e+ist J and in m" dead, see '" this image, which is thine own, how utterl" thou hast murdered th"sel($ 8==, --1;

?ow are we to interpret thisR =ilson seems to reiterate the moment o( the recognition o( onesel( during the mirrorIphase$ The (ormation o( the ego is now replaced '" its destruction$ %( the imaginar" sel(, the sel( validated '" the gaEe o( the other, is gone, =ilson is no moreH he is dead to the world, '" virtue o( the nonIe+istence o( the s"m'olic concepts emplo"ed '" it$ ?e returns to the 9real:$ ?e 'ecomes deIalienated J the true sel( whose 7ouissance would 'e rediscovered$ As =ilson &ills the
0B

other, he in(licts death upon himsel($ %n concordance with the h"menIli&e nature o( the uncann" and the dou'le, it could 'e concluded that =ilson 'ecomes the livingIdead$ 8The pro'lem o( the livingIdead will 'e dealt with in the last section o( this thesis$;

06

- (The 7ello8 6allpaper): The Autobiographical Double

/%t is ver" seldom that mere ordinar" people li&e John and m"sel( secure ancestral halls (or the summer$ 4B %s it a dA7B vuR 5harlotte #er&ins Filmans 'eginning is reminiscent o( and almost mirrors .reuds reluctance to treat the su'ject o( the uncann" 8/%t is onl" rarel" that a ps"choanal"st (eels impelled to investigate su'ject o( aesthetics O;$ <rdinar" people do not usuall" spend their summers in such residences$ The e+ceptionalit" o( this act suggests that the su'ject o( the stor" must inevita'l" 'e something e+traordinar"H most li&el", it will concern the house and the events o( the peoples sta"$ /<ne does not usuall" write a'out these s"m'ols o( patriarchal authorit", 'ut, as the proper institutions have not dealt with it, % (eel % have to could 'e read as the imaginar" introduction o( FilmansH perhaps, more aptl", it could 'e a (eminist interpretation J that little something that has 'ecome the readers standard supplement to Filmans stor"$ The interpretative ear will also 'e the su'ject o( the present anal"sis$

4B

5harlotte #er&ins Filman, /The >ellow =allpaper, C(he Dello' Wall,a,er

and Other .tories, 8Mineola, )ew >or& Dover, -22B; -$ .urther page re(erences will 'e given parentheticall" in the main 'od" o( the te+t, a''reviated as />= where appropriate$

02

The ver" (irst sentence and the title itsel( suggest that the uncann" will 'e connected with o'jects, particularl" with the house and the room the heroine is put into /Still % will proudl" declare that there is something Dueer a'out it, and later /There is something strange a'out the house J % can (eel it 8>=, 1;$ Despite her initial aversion towards the room, the unhomel" slowl" 'ecomes homel" (or the woman here$ To an e+tent, this trans(ormation occurs '" her accepting and entering the discourse o( the uncann"$ So, what is so peculiar a'out the roomR Despite serving as a sanatorium, the room loo&s li&e a prison or a torture cham'er
46

/The windows are 'arred MON and there are rings and things MON$ %t is stripped o(( J the paper J in great patches all around the head o( m" 'ed, a'out as (ar as % can reach 8>=, 3;, and /the (loor is scratched and gouged and splintered, the plaster itsel( is dug out here and there, and this great heav" 'ed, which is all we (ound in the room, loo&s as i( it had 'een through the wars8>=, 0;$ The 'ed is nailed to the (loor as well$ %t certainl" does not loo& li&e a place (or a patient to recover (rom a mental illness$ The setting o( the stor" is as i( cut out o( a gothic novel J perhaps, o(
46

More on the histor" o( madness, madmen, and sanatorium, especiall" in

connection with power and the means o( control 8'ecause that is what /The >ellow =allpaper also re(lects;, can 'e (ound in Michel .oucault, Histor% o$ 1adness, 8<+on *outledge, 1AA@; or Michel .oucault, 1adness and

/ivilisation: (he Histor% o$ )nsanit% in the Age o$ 5eason , trans$ *ichard ?oward, 8London Tavistoc&, -2@B;$

@A

one o( the great stories a'out uncann" houses such as that o( #oes ,shers$ The dou'le meaning o( the word 9house:

inaugurates our pursuit o( the dou'le in /The >ellow =allpaper$ The word designates the dwelling place 'ut also the (amil" lineage 8perhaps the patriarchal lineage, as (eminist criticism suggests;$ So, what do this house and this part 8'uilding 'loc&, room $$$; o( this essa" houseR This section o( the thesis proposes to loo& at the dou'le (rom a slightl" di((erent perspective$ The interpretation o( this wor& o( literature will (ocus on the concept o( 9auto'iograph":$ The auto'iographical aspects o( Filmans /The >ellow =allpaper, together with the 8auto;I'iographical aspects o( the vision the heroine o( the stor" has, will 'e dealt with$ This section proposes to perceive the projection o( ones mind and li(e onto the paper as ones dou'le$ Also, the interpretation will include a critical reassessment and a comparison o( some critical points made '" (eminist criticism and ps"choanal"sis$ The (irst Duestion to 'e answered concerns the (orm o( this piece o( Filmans writing$ The te+t ta&es a (orm o( an intimate con(ession J a diar"$ %t is written as a (irst person narrative, which means that the 9%: o( the narrator is not omnipresentH the reader sees onl" that which comes under authors personal o'servation$ The diar" constantl" ju+taposes the point o( view o( the diarist, which is (avoured, and o( the other, em'odied in the person o(
@-

her hus'and John

/#ersonall", % agree, M$$$N #ersonall", %

disagree, as opposed to /John said, M$$$N John wouldnt hear o( it$ %s there an addressee o( this particular diar" or the diar" in generalR .irst o( all, an assumption can 'e made that a diar" serves as a con(idante J a su'stitute (or a real person$ This is a ver" convenient companion, as it never contradicts and is li&el" to provide a silent acDuiescence$ =hat is more, a diar" evades the sight o( authorit", which does not have an" understanding (or the con(essor, and would 'e li&el" to use the con(idential in(ormation (or its own purposes$ %n the case o( /The >ellow =allpaper, the authorit" is represented '" John, who demands that his wi(e not write$42 =riting a diar" seems to 'e li&e a silent dialogue whose second participant is "et to come$ %( the diar" is designed to evade the scrutin" o( the other, who then is its addresseeR The answer is <nesel( J the (uture sel(, to 'e precise$ As will 'e e+plained later, when one reads hisUher own diar" entries one reads /someone elses writing, as the su'ject o( the writing is not the same an"more$ )ow the

author approaches the un(inished te+t o( the diar" (rom the perspective o( 'oth the past sel( and the present other$ 8Also, the alread"Imentioned article (rom a popular magaEine, which notes

49

Again, the (oucaultian universe, which is applica'le to Filmans stor", is

revisited$ >et, it is out o( the scope o( the present thesis and (urther reading in .oucaults (he Histor% o$ .e>ualit%: An )ntroduction 8Sintage,-22A; is recommended$

@1

that the mirror image is the image o( the past, due to the time the light ta&es to reach ones e"e, can 'e recalled$; A diar" captures the state o( its writer at a precise moment$ %t is an open (orm, and ends onl" with its authors death$ The (act that a diar" records ones li(e allows the reader to consider /The >ellow =allpaper a Duasi auto'iographical s&etch$0A 9Auto08io0gra,h%: is writing a'out onesel(, '" onesel($ %t is writing a'out the time o( li(e, in /the time o( li(es rAcit.EF >et, once the page is signed, Derrida argues, 'e it '" the mere act o( writing, auto'iograph" changes$ %t 'ecomes thanatograph" writing a'out the dead in the time o( d"ing$ Auto'iograph" is, in Derridas words, /a ris&" prejudgement, a sentence, a hast"
0A

A letter could 'e considered to 'e a (orm o( auto'iograph" as well, as it is

addressed to someone who, '" reading the letter, vindicates the senders e+istence$ Most people want to share the events o( their lives and that is wh" the" write letters$ Even (ormal letters are written in order to a((irm the senders e+istence (or an institution /To =hom %t Ma" 5oncern, % would li&e to ta&e this opportunit" to than& "ou (or $$$ perusing this letter and a((irming the e+istence o( the 9%: which have just than&ed "ou$ /The Sandman, (or e+ample, 'egins with a letter addressed to )athaniels (riend Lothar, in which )athaniel relates the incidents o( his childhood J a &ind o( an auto'iographical s&etch$ Later, the narration is ta&en over '" an unnamed (riend o( his J the thirdIperson omniscient narrator$ %n terms o( genre, it thus changes (rom auto'iograph" to 'iograph"$
0-

JacDues Derrida, (he Ear o$ the Other: Oto8iogra,h%, (rans$erence,

(ranslation, trans$ #egg" !amu(, ed$ 5hristie S$ McDonald, 8)ew >or& Schoc&en Boo&s, -260; --$

@3

arrest a ris&" prediction$01 %n short, a piece o( writing, when read, is attri'uted to a dead proper name /<nl" the name can inherit, and this is wh" the name is to 'e distinguished (rom its 'earer, is alwa"s and a priori a dead mans name, a name o( death$03 This statement has at least two meanings$ The (irst could 'e illustrated '" .reuds remar& a'out the su'ject o( one o( his (amous case studies, whose auto'iographical account o(

paranoia .reud anal"ses %t is possi'le that Dr$ Schre'er is still alive toda" and has so retreated (rom the s"stem o( delusion represented in -2A3 that these remar&s on his 'oo& might cause him pain$ %n as (ar, however, as he maintains the identit" o( his present personalit" with its earlier state % can draw on arguments o( his own with which he M$$$N re'u((ed attempts to &eep him (rom going to print /%n this % have not concealed (rom m"sel( the concerns M$$$N in particular, consideration (or several people still alive toda"$ 04

The other meaning has to do with the character o( the written te+t Derrida descri'es in the /Signature Event 5onte+t An" nonI spo&en utterance, an act o( writing o( a &ind, must 'e understanda'le and interpreta'le even i( its author is a'sent$ The te+t also presupposes the case o( the authors death, and, thus, death can 'e said to 'e present in all writing$ =ritten

01

(he Ear o$ the Other, 2$ (he Ear o$ the Other, B$ Sigmund .reud, /The Schre'er 5ase #s"choanal"tic *emar&s on an

03

04

Auto'iographicall" Descri'ed 5ase o( #aranoia 8Dementia #aranoides;, (he .chre8er /ase, G)ew >or& #enguin, 1AA3; 4$

@4

words 8'ut not e+clusivel"; count with the a'sence, and the" wor&, whether the author is alive or not$ During a reading event, his presence is reiterated and the e+istence ac&nowledged$ The possi'le meaning o( the te+t can onl" 'e attri'uted to the dead name, that is, the signature that stands (or the real author, who might not 'e ph"sicall" present in the same wa" an"more$ 8Thus, the signature is not necessaril" the same as the author$; These are the aspects which also need to 'e considered when reading /The >ellow =allpaper$ An auto'iograph" is (oremost a secret contract with ones own sel(H it is not sanctioned '" an"one else, to echo Derridas (he Ear o$ the Other$ <nl" a(ter one 9dies:, ph"sicall" or te+tuall", does a 'ond with the other (orm$ =ho is the 9%: o( the stor"R =hose auto'iograph" is 'eing written in /The >ellow =allpaperR =hen writing the diar", the woman writes it (or hersel($ Thus, onl" she can 9sign: it '" reading J a((irming her own e+istence$ <nl" in that respect, i( Derridas thoughts on auto'iograph" are to 'e (ollowed, does she live$ The signature is put down '" Filmans heroine and Filman hersel( at once$ The nameless woman does that '" 'eing the sole addressee o( the diar" and Filman '" signing the te+t with her name$ But, is the reader to trust themR ?e, the interpreter, is the one who signs last '" the ver" act o( interpretingH and, thus, he decides who the two signed women are$ To whom is he listening in the stor"R To which nameR .irst the primar" autoI'iographer, which is the
@0

writing woman, should 'e e+amined$ <ne o( her entries in the 9diar": reads John is a ph"sician, and perhaps J 8% would not sa" it to a living soul, o( course, 'ut this is dead paper and a great relie( to m" mind J; perhaps that is one reason % do not get well (aster$ 8>=, -;

?owever, one must remem'er that the woman in Duestion su((ers (rom mental deterioration and is 'eing cured '" means o( isolation (rom the e+ternal world and its impulses$ The entr" provides several pieces o( vital in(ormation (or the readerH her hus'ands pro(ession and the progress o( her disease are Duite clear$ But, the most interesting in(ormation is enclosed within the parentheses00 .irstl", the entr" testi(ies to the con(idential

character o( auto'iographical writingH and, secondl", it con(irms the argued 9deadness: o( writing 8which serves as a means o( sel(Ivalidation;$ The paper is dead, and it is a great relie( to the mind which enjo"s itsel( in a narcissistic wa" as the narrators 9%: J the journals sole addressee J does$ %t has 'een asserted that the diar", and eDuall" the auto'iograph", demands not to 'e read '" the otherH and, as (ar as this prohi'ition is adhered to, the author e+ists onl" (or

00

#arentheses are ver" (itting mar&ers (or this occasion, as the" share certain

traits with the uncann" and the genre o( auto'iograph"$ The" de(lect the readers gaEe '" marginaliEing the in(ormation the" contain, 'ut also attract and challenge it, as the" impl" a ta'oo J something secret, designated onl" (or readers who are initiated into the pro'lematic$

@@

hersel($ >et, this &ind o( writing 'ears in mind the possi'ilit" that the other does read it as well$ Thus, it also succum's to the logic o( the uncann", which is, according to Schelling, that which /ought to have remained secret and hidden 'ut has come to light) 8,, 340;$ ,pon the loo& at an" ordinar" diar" and its con(essors, a voiced or an unvoiced wish that a particular person reads a particular part o( the diar" can 'e detected /%( onl" he &new how % love him, might 'e a t"pical e+ample o( such a wish entered in a diar"H or /%( onl" he &new how loneliness ma&es m" illness worse ever" da"$ Some diarists even shape the st"le o( their diaries with (uture pu'lication in mind$ The su'dued wish to 'e read goes handIinIhand with auto'iograph" as well it is the means o( ma&ing onesel( recogniEed$ =riting an auto'iograph" is, thus, essentiall" a narcissistic enterprise, as ones attention is turned towards ones own ego$ %n ps"choanal"tic terms, a person normall" uses the o'jectIli'ido to derive pleasure (rom loving other thingsH the egoIli'ido, however, needs attention as well, and its pleasure comes (rom 'eing loved as it increases ones sel(Iregard$ The woman in the stor" su((ers (rom a lac& o( attention$ Despite Johns constant avowals o( love, the womans sel(Iregard does not increase$ She does not have as much attention as she would need$ %solation (rom the e+citations o( the e+ternal world 'ans her (rom the presence o( other people, which, actuall", ma&es her su((er more$ There(ore, there is no dou't that she should direct her attention towards the weird
@B

apparition in the wallpaper, which is actuall" the projection o( her sel( J her 8ps"cho;auto'iograph"$ %t is also necessar" to note

that, as we learn (rom .reud, (rom narcissism it is not (ar to travel to paranoia$ Even though egoism serves, to an e+tent, as a protection (rom (alling ill, at certain moments, li'ido has to turn (rom the ego to o'jects in order not to have pathological conseDuences$0@ %llness is 'oth the conseDuence o( not 'eing loved and o( 'eing una'le to love$ The 'oundaries o( the womans health" protection mechanisms are graduall" crossed$ A remar& o( .erencEis which .reud Duotes in /<n )arcissism is Duite 'anal 'ut interesting to the present pro'lem /A person

who is tormented '" organic pain and discom(ort gives up his interest in the things o( the e+ternal world, in so (ar as the" do not concern his su((ering$ 0B %( trans(ormation into narcissism reall" means (or the patient a happ" love, 9autoIerotism: would 'e closel" 'ound with these narcissistic tendencies$ 8AutoUouter projection o( the womans own sel( could 'e also considered a case o( autoIa((ection; =hen spea&ing o( autoIerotism, especiall" in connection with narcissism, Bar'ara Johnsons introduction to Derridas isse"ination, which provides an interesting insight into one o( its (orms, comes to mind /Mastur'ation is 'oth a s"m'olic (orm o( ideal union, since in it the su'ject and o'ject are trul" one, and
0@

/<n )arcissism, 003$ /<n )arcissism, 00A$

0B

@6

a radical alienation o( the sel( (rom an" contact with an other$ 06 Mastur'ation has certainl" a lot to do with ones sel($ %t creates a ver" strange situation where the addressee o( se+ual pleasure is at once its supplier$ <ne is split in hal(, thus participating in a closed circle o( pleasure where 'oth participants are ideall" s"nchroniEed and where the length o( the time o( pleasure is in the hands o( its addressee$ %t might 'e thought o( as an ideal instance o( ceaseless pleasure dependent on the will o( its receiverH "et, in its strangeness, it lac&s the possi'ilit" o( the uncontrolled and une+pected withdrawal o( pleasure 8that which is 'e"ond;, which constitutes one o( the most e+citing aspects o( the 9dialogic: se+ual e+perience$ Mastur'ation su'stitutes and dou'les realit"$ As a 9'ad: imitation o( the natural, it is also associated with shame and guiltH there(ore, it has 'een practiced secretl"$ Mastur'ation used to 'e re(erred to as 9sel(Ia'use: J perhaps, rather than that, terms such as 9sel(Ipleasure:, 9sel(I e+ploration:, 9sel(Istimulation:, and 9sel(Ia((ection: could 'e assigned to it$ Derridas notion o( autoIa((ection could 'e echoed againH 8the connection 'etween autoIa((ection and the dou'le has 'een partl" esta'lished in the section on /=illiam =ilson$; 5ould mastur'ation 'e used to help us thin& a'out autoI 'iograph"R Since it, li&e auto'iograph", dou'les /the real, autoI

06

Bar'ara Jonson, Translators %ntroduction,

isse"ination, '" JacDues

Derrida, trans$ Bar'ara Johnson, 8London Athlone, -26-; +ii$

@2

erotism, sel(Ilove and deriving pleasure (rom onesel( are all lin&ed with auto'iographical writing$ As in mastur'ation, which gives total command, the writing 9%: o( an auto'iograph" projects the past onto the pages o( a 'oo&, 8altered; in such a wa" that it approaches the standards o( its ego ideal$ The ego ideal can, thus, indirectl" shape the things to 'e recorded, 'ut it can also contri'ute a retrospective critical glance to the past wor& o( the ego$ A trap is thus laid (or the reader$ ?owever, 'lan& spaces and gaps can 'e searched (or, giving them their own in(ormational value$ Although an

auto'iograph" strives to satis(" the narcissistic ego ideal and moulds the events o( li(e in a complacent wa", it also e+poses the wor&ing o( the egoIideal '" means o( what it does not sa"$ Auto'iograph" could 'e li&ened to a shadow J one o( the most common (igures o( the dou'le it is an image which stands in the past in relation to our 'od" and distorts it$ The te+t preserves all the prints J memories o( the narcissistic distortion J imprinted in the gaps$ The" can 'e deciphered '" the readerH and, thus, the auto'iographical dou'le participates on 'iographical writing$ %( the auto'iographical writing o( the woman in the />ellow =allpaper is to 'e perused, would it 'e understoodR 5ertainl" not '" John who is a ph"sician$ ?e does not have a &een enough ear02 to sign in the same wa" she does$ To sign, according to
02

%n (he Ear o$ the Other, Derrida tal&s a'out the connection 'etween the student, the universit" and the State$ Students are connected to the educational institution via ears, as the" listen to what their alma mater, that is, the State, dictates$ ?owever, the ear is also the place where transcri'ing,

BA

Derrida, is to assert ones own wa" o( understanding, to interpret, to translate through the sophisticated mechanism o( the ear$ B" means o( slippage auto trans(orms into oto 9otiograph": is what anothers ear ma&es out o( a te+t The ear is uncann"$ ,ncann" is what it is dou'le is what it can 'ecomeH large or small is what it can ma&e or let happen 8as in laisserI(aire, since the ear is the most tendered and most open organ, the one that, as .reud reminds us, the in(ant cannot close;H large or small as well as the manner in which one ma" o((er or lend ear$@A

digression

will

ena'le

the

dou'le

and

the

auto'iographical uncann" to emerge more clearl"$ /The >ellow =allpaper is, li&e most good wor&s o( literature, dou'leI(aced$ <ne side wor&s in the interest o( the narrative, and the other is political$ This suggestion is, o( course, no discover"$ But, how &een is the ear o( the reader o( the present thesisR %s he capa'le o( lending his ear to the dou'le meaning o( the te+tH o( te+tsR %ndeed, the histor" o( /The >ellow =allpaper has in man" wa"s struggled with this dualit"$ .eminist critics have claimed the primac" o( their interpretationH the" have sanctioned the living o( the person in Duestion '" their reading and glori(ied the dead proper name 95harlotte #er&ins Filman:$ )ot that Filman would not deserve to 'e a part o( the canonH it is rather the ideological wa" in which the te+t has 'een read and the use o(

deciphering, and interpreting occur$ =hat is more, it can 'e closed when one /does not care to hear$ 83@J3B; @A (he Ear o$ the Other, 33$

B-

the

singular

optics

o(

auto'iograph"

to

interpret

the

contemporar" world that are Duestiona'le$ )ot unli&e the interpreters o( )ietEsche, (eminists have overloo&ed and stopped searching (or other evidence since their claim appeared to 'e wellIdocumented 8a disease widel" applica'le to the academic world in general;$ This is one o( the wa"s writing can 'ecome a 8dar&; dou'leH 8the process reDuires a dead name under a te+t and the person who charges the te+t with meanings;$ This not to impl" an" connection 'etween (eminism and social nationalism, it merel" considers interpretation and te+tual criticism as such$ /9But <ne E+pects That: 5harlotte #er&ins Filman\s 9The >ellow =allpaper: and the Shi(ting Light o( Scholarship, an article '" a group o( Filman scholars, points out the wa" (eminist scholarship o( the -2BAs and -26As interpreted the meaning o( this one o( the most widel" read stories '" 5harlotte #er&ins Filman, according to their own ideological 'ac&ground and its current trends$ =hat is at sta&e here is also the credi'ilit" o( auto'iographical writing and its narcissistic tendencies$ <ne o( the arguments o( the article criticiEes the (act, that (eminist criticism ta&es the in(ormation concerning /The >ellow =allpaper (ound in Filmans auto'iograph" at (ace value$ .ollowing the empirical (acts o( a li(e and constructing a ps"cho'iograph" o( the person does not alwa"s necessaril" result in the correct interpretation o( the persons s"stem o( thought, not to mention the correctness o( the interpretation o(
B1

the persons milieu$ %n this, (eminists are not unli&e one o( their (oresworn enemies, Sigmund .reud, whose ps"choI'iographical readings o( wor&s o( art are 'iased and, more o(ten than not, erroneous$@More so, i( the source o( these 9(acts: is the

persons auto'iograph"$ (he Living o$ /harlotte *erkins Gil"an: An Auto8iogra,h% is certainl" written (rom Filmans perspective J or, perhaps, retrospective$ Some (acts were 9whitewashed: or o(ten descri'ed as she thought and wished them to 'e, rather than as the" reall" had 'een$ =hen reading an auto'iograph", one has to approach it with dou't 8H'ei$el ha8en@1;, which means one has to e+pect a hidden dou'le$ The part o( Filmans auto'iograph" which deals with writing and pu'lishing /The >ellow =allpaper asserts that the reactions to her stor" had 'een hostile, especiall" on the part o( male representatives o( medicine$ This was later used '" some (eminist critics to claim the incapa'ilit" o( Filmans

contemporar" male readers to comprehend the Duestion o( se+$ Even though there is a lot o( evidence that the men actuall" did understand, that evidence is overloo&ed$ The article /But <ne
@-

.reuds interpretation o( Leonardos wor&s is o(ten given as an e+ample$

.reud is o(ten criticiEed (or his mistranslation o( the %talian word 9 ni88io#, which he translates as 9vulture: instead o( 9&ite:$ This ena'les him to (ollow his ps"choanal"tic thread o( interpretation$ %n (act, this mistranslation reveals more a'out .reud and the o'jectives o( his anal"sis than a'out Leonardo and his wor&$
@1

9To have dou'ts:$ *ead also note num'er 32$

B3

E+pects That revisits the evidence and loo&s at a letter to the editor in (he +oston Evening (ranscri,t 86th April -621; which asserts that the mental illness o( a woman is a su'ject hardl" appropriate to 'e pu'lished@3 The stor" can hardl", it would seem, give pleasure to an" reader, and to man", whose lives have 'een touched through the nearest ties '" this dread disease, it must 'ring the &eenest pain$ To others, whose lives have 'ecome a struggle against an heredit" o( mental derangement, such literature contains deadl" peril$ Should such stories 'e allowed to pass without severest censureR 8M$ D$;@4

Despite the o'vious tone o( a relative who nurses a close person su((ering (rom mental deterioration, Filman chooses to interpret the initials 9M$ D$: as a doctors signature$ Thus, she is a'le to uphold her claim that her stor" 'rought a'out a lot o( anger within the male scienti(ic circles$ 8As (ar as signatures are concerned, 9M$ D$: could 'e an"oneH the author o( the letter could as well 'e a (emale reader o( the magaEine which pu'lished /The >ellow =allpaper$ The gender o( the signature is indetermina'le$; Filman, thus, creates the dou'le o( the person in Duestion$ There is also a 9deadl" peril: stemming (rom the possi'ilit" that a reader does not capture the authorial intention
@3

Julie Bates Doc&, Daphne *"an Allen, Jenni(er #alais, and !risten Trac", /9But

<ne E+pects That: 5harlotte #er&ins Filmans 9The >ellow =allpaper: and the Shi(ting Light o( Scholarship$ *1LA ---$- 8-22@; @-$
@4

5harlotte #er&ins Filman, (he Living o$ /harlotte *erkins Gil"an: An

Auto8iogra,h%, 8Madison, =isconsin ,niversit" o( =isconsin #ress, -22A; -1A$

B4

hidden in the 8a; language 8which is the nature o( dead paper in general;$ Thus, even Filman is not immune against the peril o( 'ecoming a 'iographer o( someone else$ As a part o( her de(ence, Filman Duotes letters received (rom other doctors and seems to 'e tr"ing to prove her point that her personal e+perience, put down as a stor", has some value as a scienti(ic (act$ She imagines that her writing has a purpose, and that /The >ellow =allpaper convinced the doctor who treated her that his methods were erroneous$ @0 %( the purpose o( the stor", as Filman writes, is to show the (atal e((ects o( the treatment, then it could 'e argued that the heroine o( /The >ellow =allpaper is Filmans dou'le$ 5ertainl", the onl" proper name used in the stor" J 9=eir Mitchell: J points toward the possi'ilit" that Filman is voicing her displeasure with the treatment which Dr$ Mitchell has ordered /John sa"s i( % dont pic& up (aster he shall send me to =eir Mitchell in the (all$ But % dont want to go there at all 8>=, @;$ Dr$ Mitchell does not use his ear properl" either, and his healing methods o( mental disorders are ver" unli&e the ps"choanal"tic approach, whose emphasis is not on the 'od"$ *ather than tracing the repressive (orces and the unconscious content, Mitchell puts the material 'od" into isolation$ <n the other hand, the core o( .reuds methods is comprised o( listening and wor&ing with patients mind$ #s"choanal"sis is, in this
@0

(he Living o$ /harlotte *erkins Gil"an: An Auto8iogra,h% , -1AJ-1-$

B0

respect,

closer

to

the

8auto;'iograph" o( ones ps"che$ .reuds own auto'iograph" gives us insight into how the techniDue was developed =hen Breuer too& over her case it presented a variegated picture o( paral"ses with contractures, inhi'itions and states o( mental con(usion$ A chance o'servation showed her ph"sician that she could 'e relieved o( these clouded state o( consciousness i( she was induced to e+press in words the a((ective phantas" '" which she was at the moment dominated$@@

Anna <$, one o( Jose( Breuers and .reuds patients, re(ers to h"pnosis as the 9tal&ing cure: and jo&ingl" also as the 9chimne" sweeping:$@B .urthermore, Breuer in(orms his reader that, a(ter narrating the hallucinations which occurred during the da", Anna (eels happier and more cheer(ul, as opposed to the overIemotional state she was in 'e(ore treatment$ .reud, thus,

@@

Sigmund .reud, /An Auto'iographical Stud", (he -reud 5eader, ed$ #eter

Fa", 8London Sintage, -262; --$

@B

Jose( Breuer, /Anna <, (he -reud 5eader, ed$ #eter Fa", 8London Sintage,

-262; @6$

B@

postulates a resem'lance 'etween literature and case histories @6 and asserts its curative e((ects$ /The tendenc" o( (eminist critics to approach 9The >ellow =allpaper: as a la"ered te+t demanding meticulous J even strenuous J critical attention in order to discern its su'versive su'te+t there(ore reprises the anal"tic approach .reud was developing $$$ $@2 The di((erence 'etween the two anal"tical methods lies in the causal and semantic location$ =hile (eminism sees at the root o( the disease the e+ternal circumstances located outside the (emale patient and searches (or accusations o( the 8male; world in the patients con(ession, .reud proceeds in a slightl" di((erent manner$ ?e sees the same circumstances as residing within the ps"che in the (orm o( repressed material which needs to 'e released$ ?e is not tr"ing to cure the world 'ut @6
5onsider (ollowing paragraphs (rom .reuds essa" /5reative =riting and Da"IDreaming The creative writer does the same as the child at pla"$ ?e creates a world o( phantas" which he ta&es ver" seriousl" J that is, which he invests with large amount o( emotion J while separating it sharpl" (rom realit"$ M$$$N 8Fa" 43B; %( phantasies 'ecome overIlu+uriant and overIpower(ul, the conditions are laid (or an onset o( neurosis or ps"chosis M$$$N 844A; A strong e+perience in the present awa&ens in the creative writer a memor" o( an earlier e+perience 8usuall" 'elonging to his childhood; (rom which there now proceeds a wish which (inds its (ul(ilment in the creative wor&$ 8441;
@2

Jane .$ Thrail&ill, /Doctoring 9The >ellow =allpaper:, ELH @2$1 81AA1; 034$

BB

.ailure on Dr$ Mitchells side 8and Johns as well; to treat the patients unconscious resulted in its repressed material 'rea&ing through the 'arriers and materialiEing itsel( in the (orm o( a 9hallucination:$ The (igures the woman sees are the products o( her mental deterioration$ ?owever, it is all the matter o( the point o( view$ The condition o( the woman is projected

onto the wallpaper, where an apparition o( an incarcerated woman creeps 'ehind 'ars, woven out o( the intricate pattern in the wallpaper$ The (igure that is seen there is creep" at (irst, 'ut then, through their shared (ate, a sort o( s"mpath" emerges$ The (igure mirrors the heroine hersel(H it is her dou'le invented '" her mind J her own auto'iograph"$ To claim that the womans

condition is an"where close to paranoia is a 'it (arI(etchedH "et, a certain egoIli'idinal movement is evident$ =e could recall .reuds anal"sis o( the paranoid mechanism /=hat we ta&e to 'e a production o( illness, the (ormation o( the delusion, is in realit" an attempt at a cure, the reconstruction$ BA The auto'iograph" is, thus, a ,har"akon$ *ecording o( the delusion leads to a retrospective reassessment it names the cause o( the mental deterioration$ The cause and the result are, in the case o( /The >ellow =allpaper, trapped in a vicious circle$ )eglect '" the other J 9the un&een ear: J can produce just more neglect$ Auto'iographical writing is, as has 'een said, an attempt to validate ones e+istence, reconstruct and heal$ The clandestine
BA

/The Schre'er 5ase, @A$

B6

character o( such an attempt, however, dooms it to (ailure$ To sum it up, what is the manner o( this particular

auto'iographicall" medicinal treatment thenR The hallucinating woman strives to 'e recogniEed as an individualH 'ut, as the other 8her hus'andH Jennie, her sisterIinI lawH etc$;, who is a'le to a((irm her e+istence, does not respond, she has (ind other means o( sel(Irecognition$ The su'dued wish (or the diar" to 'e read reads the am'ition (or recognition into the womans writing Then in the ver" 'right spots she &eeps still, and in the ver" shad" spots she just ta&es hold o( the 'ars and sha&es them hard$ And she is all the time tr"ing to clim' through$ But no'od" could clim' through that pattern J it strangles soH % thin& that is wh" it has so man" heads$ 8>=, -1;

The pattern in the wallpaper stranglesH according to various interpretations, it appears to 'e a metaphor o( the pattern which wor&s within male societ"$ Spea&ing o( the con(inement imposed '" the maleIcontrolled social order, Duite a (unn" remar& appears at the 'eginning o( the stor" /John laughs at me, o( course, 'ut one e+pects that in marriage 8>=, -;$ This sentence has 'een su'ject to the omission o( the phrase 9in marriage:, which has occurred in various editions$ The omission is just a little one, 'ut the change in meaning it produces is great J the (ocus, thus, shi(ts (rom particular marriage to all men$ As the

B2

article /But <ne E+pects That suggests, it is marriage not men in general what Filman 'ashes$BFilmans auto'iograph" reveals that she did not (eel ver" com(orta'le in her marriage and su((ered (rom depressionsH that is wh" she separated (rom her hus'and$ She got rid o( the acDuired patron"mic 9Stetson:, when she got divorced in -624, 'ut she wrote /The >ellow =allpaper still as Stetson$ =hich name are we to sign under the stor" thenR Does the di((erent name change the personR %s it the auto'iograph" o( Stetson or FilmanR %( /The >ellow =allpaper is to 'e perceived as the auto'iographical dou'le, the Duestion is more than relevant$ %( the stor" should 'e an e+pression o( the revolt against the institution o( marriage, then, would it not 'e more appropriate (or the signature which is &ept printed 'ellow the stor" to read 9Stetson:R Filman is, as it were, a postImarital (eminist, and a wish to dissociate hersel( (rom the patron"mic o'tained '" the act o( marriage can 'e detected$ There is a wish to 'ur" the person associated with the 9Stetson: signature, even though, given the auto'iographical character o( the stor", 9Stetson: is the su'ject$ =ithout 9Stetson: there cannot 'e the (uture Filman$ The signature, the ph"sical trail o( a pen, can provide an" name Filman might chooseH the te+t, however, is invisi'l" signed '" 9Stetson:$

B-

/But <ne E+pects That, 00$

6A

Later in the stor", the woman, when unseen, graduall" manages to strip o(( all o( the wallpaper$ %n the last scene, she seems, at last, to win her struggle against the masculine discourse o( marriage /%ve got out at last, said %, /in spite o( "ou and Jane$ %ve pulled o(( most o( the paper, so "ou cant put me 'ac&L )ow wh" should that man have (aintedR But he did, and right across m" path '" the wall, so that % had to creep over him ever" timeL 8>=, -0;

This is the sinister laugh o( the medusa, so much craved (or '" (eminist writers$ The wallpaper is the scene o( writingH the heroine, however, has her own 9dead paper:$ To write at the time o( ones living a'out onesel( is to write an auto'iograph" J to write auto'iograph" is to utter the wish (or ones e+istence to 'e recogniEed /=oman must put hersel( into the te+t J as into the world and into histor" J '" her own movement$ B1 Dum'ness, even (or .reud, is a su'stitute (or death$ % did write (or a while in spite o( themH 'ut it does e+haust me a good deal J having to 'e sl" a'out it, or else meet with heav" opposition$ % sometimes (anc" that in m" condition, i( % had had less opposition and more societ" and stimulus J 'ut John sa"s the ver" worst thing % can do is to thin& a'out m" condition, and % con(ess it alwa"s ma&es me (eel 'ad$ 8>=, 1;

A certain iron" can 'e detected in the Duotation a'ove, as well as in the ver" (irst page o( the stor" displa"ing anno"ance
B1

?elen 5i+ous, /The Laugh o( the Medusa, trans$ !eith 5ohen G #aula 5ohen,

-e"inis"s: An Antholog% o$ Literar% (heor% and /riticis", eds$ *o'"n *$ =arhol, and Diane #rice ?erndl, 8)ew Brunswic& *utgers ,#, -22@; 334$

6-

with doctors$ John (or'ids her to write 'ecause it does not contri'ute to her wellI'eing$ As she sa"s, /it does e+haust her$ The italiciEed word 9does: 8though the properties o( the te+t should 'e approached with wariness, due to various careless editorial changes in the course o( the histor" o( the te+t; stresses the e+haustion which the heroine e+periences$ But, it is not 'ecause o( the writing itsel(, 'ut 'ecause o( having to write in secrec" =riteL =riting is (or "ou, "ou are (or "ouH "our 'od" is "ours, ta&e it$ % &now wh" "ou havent written$ M$$$N Because writing is at once too high, too great (or "ou, its reserved (or the great J that is (or /great menH and its /sill"$ Besides, "ouve written a little, 'ut in secret$ And it wasnt good, 'ecause it was in secret, or 'ecause "ou punished "oursel( (or writing, 'ecause "ou didnt go all the wa", or 'ecause "ou wrote, irresisti'l", as when we would mastur'ate in secret, not to go (urther, 'ut to attenuate the tension a 'it, just enough to ta&e the edge o(($ And then as soon as we come, we go and ma&e ourselves (eel guilt" J so as to 'e (orgivenH or to (orget, to 'ur" it until ne+t time$B3

The paragraph (rom 5i+ouss cele'rated essa" descri'es the situation o( Filmans heroine$ %t is necessar" to remem'er that onl" the te+t o( the diar" J the auto'iograph", which onl" she signs J constitutes her 'eing$ Again, the image o( mastur'ation and the supplementation o( the real are revisited J the dou'le a((irms e+istence$ A collision o( two di((erent writings can 'e seen <ne o( them is (eminine, put down onto the dead paperH the other is
B3

/The Laugh o( the Medusa, 330$

61

masculine, written on the wall paper$ =hen the woman in the stor" voices her displeasure with the stale "ellow wallpaper, John at (irst suggests repapering the room, 'ut then discards the notion just in case his wi(es whim should decide to 'e displeased with the rest o( the (urniture as well$ *epapering, however, would not do, as it would onl" appl" a new jac&et o( essentiall" the same nature$ Moreover, it would retain the old la"er in a palimpsestic (orm$ The paper needs to 'e torn down as it had 'een attempted man" times 'e(ore J the h"men must 'e pierced$ At least it appears to 'e the onl" solution$ >et, removing the wallpaper does not appear to 'e the correct solution either$ ?aving stripped o(( the 9masculine discourse:, she still has to creep over the 'od" o( her hus'and, who has (ainted at the ver" end o( the stor" due to the weird events caused '" his wi(es illness /)ow wh" should that man have (aintedR But he did, and right across m" path '" the wall, so that % had to creep over him ever" time 8>=, -0;$ She remains a ghost J a woman in a vegetative state$ The state o( 9li'ert":, in (act, renders the woman helpless and puts a new o'stacle in her path$ The act o( the total destruction o( the male writing, thus, results in an even more strict con(inement, even worse restrictions and greater emphasis on her mental deterioration Li&e =ilson, she has to (ace unmediated e+istence, although the e+istence o( the woman provided '" the perception o( the other was not as she would have desired, 'ut, at least, a
63

little

was

provided$

The

shortIcoming

o(

the

(eminist

interpretation is revealed '" means o( the simple dialectics o( the sel( 'eing granted its e+istence '" means o( the other$ The ear and the will to listen 8during a ps"choanal"tic session (or instance; are the &e" ones own li(e needs to 'e validated

through the act o( reading the 9auto'iographical dou'le: '" the other$

64

5 The Dark Half: 19nventing &neself2

The last piece o( literature to 'e discussed J !ings novel (he ark Hal$ J in man" wa"s articulates the pro'lems which have 'een dealt with so (ar$ %t has to 'e conceded though that (he ark Hal$ is a 'it di((erent, and that the suspense o( the uncann" is not as insistent as in the other two wor&s o( literature (eatured in this stud"$ The uncann" might 'e partl" suspended, as it were, '" the inter(erence o( the genre o( detective (iction and '" the e+cessive element o( action$ Still, the presence o( the dou'le 'rings a'out the sense o( the uncann"$ %t could 'e also traced 'ac& to surmounted 'elie(s and, as Jentsch (ormulated in his stud" o( the uncann", to the intellectual uncertaint" as to whether or not an inanimate o'ject can come alive$ Li&e wa+ dolls and machines per(orming various tas&s 8such as the automaton <limpia in /The Sandman;, (ictional characters coming to li(e give rise to (eelings o( the uncann"$ The villain o( (he ark Hal$, Feorge Star&, is also re(erred to '" the

name o( a character (rom his novels J Ale+ Machine J and no distinction is made 'etween the two$ The name o( the villain, thus, re(ers to something that is, in its essence, an inanimate 'eing$ ?e is a (ictional character o( a (ictional writer, "et, he comes alive to avenge himsel( and to retrieve his e+istence$ %n order to understand what is at sta&e here, (irst, the plot o( the novel must 'e loo&ed at$
60

As in the case o( )athaniel (rom /The Sandman, Thad Beaumonts childhood needs to 'e revisited to comprehend the events that come later in his li(e$ At the age o( eleven, the ver" prospective writer Thadeus 'egins to e+perience terri'le

headaches and seiEures, accompanied '" the sound o( 'irds$ These lead to a 'rain surger" and the removal o( what the doctors thought was a 'rain tumour$ =hen the" open Thads head, the" (ind instead a 'lind and mal(ormed e"e growing out o( his 'rain$ Dr$ #ritchard wonders at so rare a case and concludes that it is a twin which was swallowed or incorporated '" Thad 8a case o( in utero canni'alism; in the wom'H 'ut, (or some reason, it did not die and has somehow managed to 'ecome a parasite and develop inside Thads head$ The doctor removes the e"e and all the 'its o( the twin he can (ind (ingernails, and two teeth$ A(ter "ears pass, Thad 'ecomes a success(ul writer and a (amil" man$ ?e wrote his 'estsellers under the pseudon"m Feorge Star&H the intellectual novels written under his own name were not much o( a success$ <ne da", Thad decides that he has had enough o( Feorge$ The ditching o( Star& is hastened '" a (anatical reader o( Star&s novels who discovers the real person 'ehind the pseudon"m and threatens to e+pose Thad as the author$ There(ore, Thad decides to 9go pu'lic: himsel($ This is not pro'lematic, as he is wellIo(( and has had enough o( Feorge Star& an"wa"$ A moc& (uneral (or Star& is staged (or the purposes
6@

part o( a nostril, three

o( shooting some pictures (or *eo,le magaEine$ ?owever, Feorge Star& does not seem read" to die "et$ ?e rises (rom his virtual grave$ An ine+plica'le hole and (ootprints leading awa" (rom it are discovered '" a local gravedigger$ The town where the moc& (uneral and the photographic session too& place is the town where the

Beaumonts have their vacation residence$ .irst, Star& &ills a local citiEen, which involves the town sheri(( Alan #ang'orn in the stor", and then avenges himsel( on those who had in some wa" or other participated on his 9murder: 8the overEealous (an, the editor $$$;$ ?aving accomplished his revenge, Star& goes to see Thad and his (amil"$ Star&, a (ictional writer o( (iction, has, in (act, all the attri'utes o( his (ictional character Ale+ MachineH the two are interchangea'le$ The 98meta;I(ictional: nature o( this creature renders the situation a'surd (or the Beaumonts, especiall" as (ar as the investigation is concerned$ Thad starts to realiEe what is happening, 'ut he also &nows that, i( he suggested that a (ictional character has come to li(e and has murdered all those people, no one would 'elieve him$ Wuite the contrar", he might have gotten himsel( into even 'igger trou'le, since the (ingerprints, the 'lood t"pe, and the voiceprint collected during the investigation are identical to his own$ ?e con(ides to Alan #ang'orn, whom he and his wi(e LiE have 'e(riended$ #ang'orn is sceptical, 'ut is willing to reconsider it and to spea& to Dr$ #ritchard a'out the m"sterious operation$
6B

=hat Star& wants is to live again, and he can onl" do that i( Thad writes Star&s novels or teaches him to do so$ ?e &idnaps Thads (amil" to persuade Thad into colla'oration$ Thad manages to get rid o( Star& once and (or all '" the almost m"stical help o( a swarm o( sparrows, which have 'een omnipresent throughout the stor" and appear particularl" when Thad starts to reI e+perience his headaches$ As the reader learns, sparrows are the har'ingers o( the living dead$ The" are there to transport Star& to the realm o( death J which the" do in the (inal scene$ To achieve that, Thad ta&es advantage o( Star&s lac& o( attention, 'lows a 'irdIwhistle that a colleague o( his had given him, and an immense (loc& o( sparrows attac&s Star& and carries him awa"$ %( .reuds reading o( /The Sandman is recalled, it is possi'le to o'serve that the moti( o( e"es and seeing also recurs in !ings (he ark Hal$$ =ere .reuds interpretative anal"sis o(

?o((manns stor" to 'e mirrored and (oregrounded, the removal o( the e"e (rom Thads 'rain could 'e seen as an act o( castration$ The e"e, in (act, does not 'elong to ThadH 'ut it is not entirel" his 9devoured: twins either$ %t serves as a &ind o( a mediator, a teleport 'etween the worlds o( the living and o( the livingIdead$ Thad can 'oast the s&ills o( the writer, which the dou'le does not possess when the dou'le wants to write, it has to do via Thad$ Thad, on the other hand, cannot produce a success(ul novel without his dou'le which provides the attractive su'ject matter$ This mutual connection is even noted '" LiE$
66

=hen he and Feorge are a'out to commence the writing o( a new novel, he orders her and #ang'orn to get out o( the room, a moment during which LiE o'serves that Feorges e"es loo& out (rom Thads (ace (or a moment$ Another 9e"e scene: strongl" reminiscent o( <limpia (rom /The Sandman occurs in Thads dreams$ =hen he visits his house with Feorge Star&

accompan"ing him in the role o( an estate agent, he (inds his wi(e dead$ =hen he moves her, her head lolls 'ac&H her (ace crac&s and her e"es e+plode /?er glaEed e"es suddenl"

e+ploded$ )o+ious green jell", sic&eningl" warm spurted up into his (ace$ ?er mouth gaped ajar and her teeth (lew out in a white storm$B4 Thad is, o( course, convinced that Star& is to 'lame (or the death o( his loveH a stri&ing similarit" with ?o((manns stor" and the malevolent 5oppelius could 'e in(erred here$ As ps"choanal"tic research shows, the dou'le, a narcissistic

invention, o(ten inter(eres in the love relationships o( its su'ject$ As said 'e(ore, castration can stand (or writerl" impotence J 'oth that o( Thad and Star&$ %n the (inal scene, when Star& is to 'e carried to the realm o( the dead and his writing is to 'e doomed (orever, sparrows eat his e"es, leaving onl" two 'lac& soc&ets$ As a warning and the price to 'e paid (or controlling the (orces o( a(terli(e, a sparrow pec&s Thad /suddenl" and viciousl",
B4

Stephen !ing, (he

ark Hal$, 8London ?odder, 1AAB; 36$ .urther page

re(erences will 'e given parentheticall" in the main 'od" o( the te+t, a''reviated as /D?, where appropriate$

62

'ringing 'lood just 'elow his e"e 8D?, 401;$ %s this a s"m'olic castration, or just the threat o( oneR %n an" case, the e"e moti( seems to 'e a clear message o( writerl" impotence$ Should the thread o( castration 'e (ollowed even (urther, a return could 'e made to the (act that, a(ter the moc& 'urial, Thad is visited '" Star&, his dou'le and more creative sel(, in his dreams ?e was with Feorge Star& in the dream, onl" Feorge was a real estate agent instead o( a writer, and he was alwa"s standing just 'ehind Thad, so he was onl" a voice and a shadow$ 8D?, 33;

)ow, ps"choanal"sis asserts that dou'ling in dreams re(ers to castration 8,, 30@J30B;$ =hen Feorge Star&, the dou'le, visits Thad in his dreams (or the (irst time, the" go to Thads house and ever"thing that Thad touches splits in two$ The theme o( the dou'le is accentuated '" man" instances o( dou'ling, duplicit", and am'ivalence throughout the novel$ Thad and LiEs children are twins$ The" are the second pair o( twinsH the (irst died 'e(ore 'eing 'orn$ And it is a(ter this event that Thad starts writing under a di((erent name$ The ps"chic and somatic 9telepath": 8s"mpathetic wounds; 'etween the twins =end" and =illiam serves as a clue to various Duestions and dou'ts which Thad has a'out his connection with Star&$ Feorge Star& leaves (ingerprints which are identical with Thads$ The voiceprints, which are said to 'e even more accurate as evidence, are identical as well$ Feorge Star& is not the
2A

superego t"pe o( dou'leH Duite the contrar", he em'odies Thads inner desires, lur&ing in the recesses o( the unconscious$ ?e is the (igure o( 7ouissance, as he at once enjo"s unrestrained e+citations and does so at Thads e+pense$ Apart (rom the relationship de(ined '" ps"choanal"sis, the novel touches upon some Duestions o( naming, writing and dou'ling which the thesis has e+plored so (ar$ The most signi(icant one concerns the name =hat happens when an author writes under a di((erent nameR ?ow does the Duestion o( the signature appl" in that caseR To 'egin with, what does the word 9pseudon"m: meanR According to the OE , the pre(i+ 9pseudoI: represents the Free& com'ining element ]^_`aI, ]^_`I, (alse, (alsel", (rom stem o( ]^_`Ibc adj$ .alseH ]^d`Iac (alsit", (alsehoodH ]^e`I^fg to deceive, cheatH and ]^e`I^hijf to 'e (alse, spea& (alsel"$ The other part comes (rom word 9n"mum:, and again, it all 'oils down to the name$ A pseudon"m means a (alse or a (ictitious name, especiall" one assumed '" an author$ =riting under a pseudon"m is li&e reinventing onesel(, as Thaddeus Beaumont sa"s in a (ictional interview (or *eo,le$ 9#seudo: implies (ictionH (iction is what Thad writes$ The histor" o( literature is teeming with writers who used pseudon"ms$ Several representatives o( English literature could 'e mentioned Acton Bell, 5urrer Bell, Ellis Bell, BoE, Feorge

Eliot, Feorge Sand, Feorge <rwell, Mar& Twain 8with the dou'le
2-

alread" inscri'ed in his name;, Ed Mc Bain, and *ichard Bachman$B0 /#seudon"ms, writes !ing, are /onl" higher (orm o( (ictional character 8D?, -A4;$ Thus, the word also underscores the platonic pro'lem o( literature as truth and nonItruth$ A pseudon"m strangel" su'verts the relationship 'etween the (ictive and the real, giving the impression that the one who creates the (iction does not have an" roots in realit" as such$ %n generating his own name, a writer naivel" 'elieves that he can dissociate himsel( (rom realit"$ <ne reason (or writing under a pseudon"m is the sa(et" it provides in case o( particularl" su'versive writing /)o, % did not write thatL %t is someone elses wor&$ Another reason is the wish to create onesel( as 9an other: J to sel(Igenerate J to evade ones (ather$ ?owever, the illusion o( the alternative identit" an author strives to create is (alse 8(ictional, as it were;H this new identit" alwa"s returns to the (ormer sel($ B" means o( the constant de(erring movement J di$$CranceIJ J the past and realit" tend to catch up on the author
B0

%n the same order the real names are Anne Bronte, 5harlotte Bronte, Emil"

Bronte, 5harles Dic&ens, Mar" Ann Evans, Amandine Dupin, Eric Arthur Blair, Samuel Langhorne 5lemens, Evan ?unter and Stephen !ing$
B@

(he *enguin

ictionar% o$ Literar% (er"s K Literar% (heor% /A word coined

'" the .rench philosopher JacDues Derrida which he uses in opposition to logocentrism$ %t is intentionall" am'iguous 8and virtuall" untranslata'le; and derives (rom .rench di$$Arer, meaning 9to de(er, postpone, dela": and also 9to di((er, 'e di((erent (rom:$ The (act that (or the reader with no philosophical 'ac&ground to understand the a'ove Duoted e+planation o( the word di$$Arance the meaning

21

who is writing under a (alse name$ The name given '" the (ather is not the last stop o( the de(erring vehicle$ A (ather gives a name to a child, 'ut the name usuall" e+ists 'e(ore the childs e+istence proper$ #arents alread" &now who the new person is going to 'e$ A name is stamped on the child the (irst name appears to 'e the (irstH 'ut, in realit", it comes a(ter the surname$ The patron"mic in particular,

constitutes the childs relationship with the pastH the (irst name is an additional contri'ution '" the parents$ The in(luence o( the (ather as the constantl" supervising agenc" has alread" 'een descri'ed in the section on /=illiam =ilson, 'ut the province o( the patron"mic is much larger$ %t mar&s the a'sence, 'ut also reiterates the presence o( the whole chain o( the 'earers predecessors and e+tends a line into the (uture '" anticipating the acts o( naming to come$ Li&e the mirror, it inculcates the 'earer with the identit" o( the other 8"ou are 9k>:;, which he can meet with acDuiescence or rejection 8to 'e or not to 'e the name and ever"thing that it might impl";$ But, 'oth the positive and negative stance leave an imprint on the sel( 8/% am not that also presupposes an opposite (orm o( identit", the other, without which one cannot sa" what he is;$ Then, can (athering a new name, li&e a pseudon"m, eliminate the re(erence o( the pastR %t cannot, 'ecause, '"
o( the word 9logocentrism: must 'e e+plained as well constitutes the ver" nature o( di$$Arance$

23

naming, the (ather o( the new name hands over a part o( his sel( alread" structured '" the positive or negative attitude to his inherited past$ Thus, naming can never 'e a pure invention$ Thad (athers Feorge Star&, and when he names him, the choice o( the name has relevance to real li(e$ Thad identi(ies with, or dou'les, another writer named Donald E$ =estla&e, who, Thad e+plains /,ses the crime novel to write these ver" (unn" social comedies a'out American li(e and American mores$ But (rom the earl" si+ties until the midIseventies or so, he wrote a series o( novels under the name o( *ichard Star& 8D?, 1@;$ ?e continues /?e said he wrote 'oo&s on sunn" da"s and Star& too& over on the rain" ones$ % li&ed that, 'ecause those were rain" da"s (or me, 'etween -2B3 and -2B0 8D?, 1@;$ Thus, the new name is connected with the 'iographicall" real$ )ot onl" does Thad invent the name, as i( a negative response to what the inherited patron"mic entails, 'ut he also acDuires the attitudes and nature o( another 9(ather: 8=estla&e;, whose name he has adopted$ ?ow should one approach the (act that Stephan !ing also wrote under a (ictitious nameR The stor" o( !ing writing as someone else is ver" similar to the one presented in the novel and is 'elieved to 'e the model (or (he ark Hal$$ !ing used to

write under the pseudon"m 9*ichard Bachman:, partl" to prove to himsel( that it was his talent that sells his 'oo&s and not just the hand o( (ate$ The (irst name was a tri'ute to the a'oveI mentioned character o( =estla&e, *ichard Star&, the second, to
24

!ings (avourite roc& 'and 9BachmanITurner <verdrive:$ BB 8!ing also mar&ed *ichard Matheson as the writer who in(luenced him most, and, thus, it is possi'le that !ings pseudon"m is reminiscent o( Mathesons (irst name as well$; Later, a 'oo&store cler& noticed certain similarities 'etween Bachman and !ing and revealed the real persona 'ehind the pseudon"m$ That led to pronouncing Bachman dead$ ,pon opening the -260 Signet Boo& version o( (hinner, two strange inscriptions capture the readers sight$ The (irst is located at the 'eginningH the title page reads

T:9''E4
STE#?E) !%)F
=riting as *ichard Bachman

=hat does it mean to write as someone elseR To write in the st"le o( *ichard BachmanR To identi(" onesel( with *ichard BachmanR 5an one write as someone who does not e+istR 5an there 'e an imitation prior to the imitatedR As was alread" concluded, an invented identit" is onl" a series o( de(erring acts which lead to various aspects which the pseudon"m onl" dou'les$ !ing, writing as Bachman, dedicated his 'oo&s to people close to him and provided dim re(erences to his identit"$ A
BB

Stephen !ing, .te,hen 4ing -AL: MWh% did %ou 'rite 8ooks as 5ichard

+ach"anN, 1Ath March 1A-A lhttp UUwww$stephen&ing$comU(aD$htmlm-$@n$ At (irst !ing considered a di((erent pseudon"m, Fus #ills'ur", 'ased on his maternal grand(ather$

20

di((erent name, 'ut not so much a di((erent entit" J that is wh" the real Bachman and real Star& were discoveredH that is wh" Feorges e"es stared out o( Thads (ace$ A #seudon"m is used to conve" a sense o( anon"mit"$ Literature does not want to 'e signed 8to echo Derrida;$ The signature distracts and distorts ones reading$ That is not to sa" that writing must not 'e signed$ Wuite the contrar", the act o( signing ta&es place simultaneousl" with writingH !ing puts this to a test$ E$ M$ .orsters short essa" /Anon"mit" An %nDuir" o((ers an interesting insight into the creative process Each human mind has two personalities, one on the sur(ace, one deeper down$ The upper personalit" has a name$ M$$$N %t is conscious and alert, it does things li&e dining out, answering letters, etc$ M$$$N The lower personalit" is a ver" Dueer a((air M$$$N unless a man dips a 'uc&et down into it occasionall" he cannot produce (irstIclass wor&$B6

%n other words, the level o( a creative writer is measured '" his a'ilit" to 'ecome the other J to give up his name and li(e$ To illustrate the two poles o( a writers capacit", .orster re(ers to 5harles Lam' and *$L$ Stevenson on one side and to

Sha&espeare and Dante on the other$ %t would 'e di((icult to situate !ing 'etween the two$ .orster sa"s that it is possi'le to sa" /how li&e Lam', 'ut there is
B6

E$M$ .orster, /Anon"mit"

An %nDuir", ('o /heers $or

e"ocrac% ,

8?armondsworth #enguin, -2BA; 2-$

2@

hardl" an"thing li&e /how li&e Sha&espeareH the (irst author sells his person, the other, the art o( depersonaliEation$ The purpose o( this inDuir", however, is not to judge !ing Dualitativel"H its (ocus will 'e on the aspects (eaturing the uncann" other$ Thad Beaumont reaches down into himsel( and (inds the uncann" personalit" he calls Feorge Star&, which is much more capa'le in terms o( writing and dies with a visi'le signature J showing his personalit"$ !ings li(eless pseudon"m provides an incomplete dissociation, as it, as has 'een shown, also re(erences the past$ %t could 'e asserted that dissociation is a hal(Iwa" 'etween the Lam' and the Sha&espeare mode o( writing$ !ing wrote (hinner /as *ichard Bachman 'ut the ver" last page introduces the real writer as having a li(e o( his own$ <nce the reader has (inished the 'oo&, he can research the 'iographical (acts i( he wants$ The inside o( the paper'ac& cover shows a 'ig photo o( !ing, accompanied '" a short caption o( the o'ituar" t"pe in an uncann" wa" /STE#?E) !%)F, the worlds 'estselling novelist, lives with his wi(e, the novelist Ta'itha !ing, %n Bangor, Maine$ (hinner is o((iciall" the last 'oo& written '" *ichard Bachman$ =hat loo&s li&e a memorial photograph actuall" descri'es the living person$ >et, with Bachman and !ing 'eing the same 'od", it also announces the end o( the (ictitious entit" as well$ Bachman is no moreH Stephen !ing is the 'estI selling novelist who actuall" lives$

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The Duestion o( the epigraph should 'e revisited at this point$ %t has 'een alread" said that the epigraph mar&s the 'eginning 'ut also entails the ending$ ,suall", the epigraph comes (rom a di((erent source than the te+t it precedes, and most o(ten the te+t and the epigraph have di((erent authors$ The chapters in which somehow Feorge Star&UAle+ Machine ma&es an appearance are mostl" preceded '" Duotations (rom Star&s novels J Thads (ictional li(e 8the li(e o( his dou'le; is introduced '" Thads (ictional novel$ The signature is di((erent, 'ut the person is the same$ %s he however aware o( itR =hen an author writes his own epigraphs he presents a te+t 8the epigraph; as a te+t which precedes him and the insight o( which his stor" in some wa" repeats$ At the same time he su'verts this assertion 'ecause epigraph is his own$ Thus, '" creating pseudoIepigraphs the author presents himsel( as his own origin and himsel( generates the truth which he later repeats or puts into Duestion$B2

Ale+ Machine e+ists prior to the te+t o( (he

ark Hal$$ #utting the ark Hal$

epigraph (rom Star&s novels a'ove the te+t o( (he

strangel" re(erences !ings own 9pseudon"mic: e+perience$ The epigraph on the moc& gravestone should announce Star&s death and the irretrieva'ilit" o( the past FE<*FE STA*! -2B0 J -266 )ot a Ser" )ice Fu"
B2

Michael #eled Fins'urg, /#seudon"m, Epigraphs, and )arrative Soice

Middlemarch and the #ro'lem o( Authorship, ELH 4B$3 8-26A; 046$

26

The tom'stone epigraph is inserted into the te+t o( the novel, thus situating itsel( as su'ordinate to the main te+t J as the past contrasting with the present J as the present de(ining the past$ <n the other hand, though re(erring to what was, the epigraphs hovering a'ove the chapters uncannil" presage the coming o( the sinister dou'le$ The" are independent and hierarchicall" placed onto the page$ )ot onl" does the dou'le have precedence in terms o( time, 'ut it also claims the status o( a primar" re(erent in general /<nl" % de(ine the (uture o( this te+t$

Although Thad appears to the 9inventor: o( the (ictional name and li(e, as he is not 8as has 'een argued;, he is reciprocall" a((ected '" it J '" his sel($ The same applies to !ing$ As (ar as (ictitious names are concerned, one more prominent phrase encountered in the novel which tightens the relationship 'etween name and writing should 'e discussed 9the pen name:$ Li&e the pseudon"m, it stands (or the name an author hides 'ehind$ #en is a metaphor o( writing 8though writing has largel" 'ecome a domain o( machines 6A; and, thus, rein(orces the meaning pseudon"m has esta'lished$ ?owever, the word also re(ers to the enclosure, trap, con(inement, and

imprisonment$ The phrase indicates that a name might 'ecome ones prison cell$
6A

=e could perhaps ponder the connection 'etween this assertion and the

(act that the main hero o( Star&s novels is Ale+ Machine, and that Star& writes in pencil e+clusivel"$

22

%ndeed, what Thad e+periences is that deadloc&$ =ithout the pen name, he cannot writeH with it, he is ta&en captive '" his alter ego$ =hen he writes his most success(ul novels under the name o( Feorge Star&, he is in a state o( possession J the imaginar" dou'le (rom the depths o( his unconscious ta&es control over his mind$ %t is as i( the limits o( the ego have ceased to wor& and the id has risen to the sur(ace$6- The change o( name 8(rom Beaumont to Star&; has also temporaril" suspended the in(luence o( the (ather J the in(luence o( the superego$ Thad, a(ter all, alwa"s s"mpathiEed with Feorge Star& in a wa", and in a dar& corner o( his soul he envied Star&s (ree li(e$ =hen Star& comes to li(e, Thad graduall" shows signs which are connected with the other sel( and the period o( li(e Thad was in during his career as someone else$ ?e (eels an urge to smo&e cigarettesH he uses the pencils which he used to write with when he was 9Feorge Star&:$ The invention does not completel" dissociate (rom its creatorH on the contrar", the" e+ist in a reciprocal

6-

An interesting 9t"po: occurs in the second part o( the (irst chapter o( an ark Hal$ J an instance o( parapra+is in print$ %n the

electronic version o( (he

interview (or *eo,le, Thad spea&s a'out his wi(e LiE lo''"ing (or a pseudon"m and the li'ert" o( writing di((erent &inds o( novels that would come with it /% thin& she put that one last on purpose$ She &new )d 8m" italics; 'een (ooling around with an idea (or a crime novel, although % couldnt seem to get a handle on it 8D?, p$ 14;$ The electronic version drops the apostrophe in the short (orm o( 9% had: which gives 9%d: instead (or 9%d9$

-AA

relationship$ )either Star& nor Thad are a'le to write without one another$ Thad and his dou'le are connected '" means o( tele,ath%, which is not onl" ps"chical, 'ut o(ten (eatures o'jects and machines as mediators pencils and tele,hone 8m" italics; in particular$ This is emphasised '" an unconsciousl" e+pected phone call '" Star&, when Thad (eels li&e /'eing suc&ed out o( his 'od" and pulled down the telephone line to someplace precisel" 'etween the two o( them 8D?, 14-;H or, more generall", when the 9?old: status on the telephone is compared to a /latterI twentiethIcentur" version o( lim'o 8D?, 113;$ This recalls Derridas h"men again J the place where two can 'e one$ Especiall" in relationship to Feorges state o( 'eing the livingI dead, nonIph"sical communication 'etween the two 'ecomes Duite an interesting issue as well$ %n one o( the chapters, Thad re(ers to automatic writing$ Automatic writing is writing per(ormed automaticall" without thin&ing$ %t is o(ten, and it is (or Thad as well, associated with communication with the dead, especiall" '" means o( the Wuija 'oard, where a planchette, on which the (ingers o( the living participants o( communication are rested, is 'elieved to 'e guided '" a spirit in the pointing to di((erent letters$ %n realit", however, it is the result o( the ideoImotor e((ect 61$ %n connection
61

Electronic version o( An Enc%clo,aedia o$ /lai"s, -rauds, and Hoa>es o$ the

Occult and .u,ernatural /%deomotor e((ect is the ps"chological phenomenon

-A-

with creative writing, 9how to: 'oo&s o(ten recommend it as a power(ul tool to (ree the creative spirit$ =riters unconscious engages in the process o( nonIthin&ing, and a spontaneous stream o( words can 'e produced$ Thus, it can 'e considered to 'e the communication with onesel(, just as the Wuija 'oard is the writers unconscious dictates in(ormation alread" &nown 'ut repressed$63 %n his essa" /*omanticism J #s"choanal"sis J .ilm A

?istor" o( the Dou'le, !ittler notes that the dou'le (irst started to appear at the writing des&$ The essa" Duotes the (ollowing passage (rom *an&s who sat M$$$N one a(ternoon in -662 M$$$N at the des& in his stud"$ ?is servant had strict orders never to enter while his master was wor&ing$ Suddenl", it seemed to Maupassant as i( someone had opened the door$ Turning around he sees, to his e+treme astonishment, his o'n sel$ entering, who sits down opposite him and rests his head on his hand$ Ever"thing Maupassant writes is dictated to him$ =hen the author (inished his wor& and arose, the hallucination disappeared$64 o,,elg2nger a'out Fu" de Maupassant

that underlies dowsing, automatic writing, ta'le tipping, and the <uija 'oard$ Wuite unconsciousl", the participant is moving the hand enough to ma&e the movement o( the involved device occur, though he ma" attri'ute the motion to the divine or supernatural (orce in which he 'elieves$ %n all these events, nothing in the wa" o( in(ormation is revealed to the operator e+cept what he alread" &nows$
63

Again, consider this statement in relation to the Duotations (rom .reuds

essa" /5reative =riting and Da"Idreaming located in (ootnote num'er @0$

-A1

Maupassants dou'le communicates via resting his head on Maupassants hand, thus esta'lishing a connection$ Thads head, the space once shared with his dead twin, is also the scene o( similar communication and dou'ling .or long periods Star& would 'e Duiet, hardl" there at all$ Then an idea would stri&e and (o+" old Feorge would leap out o( his head li&e a craEed jac&IinItheI 'o+$ M$$$N Then the 'oo& would 'e done and Feorge would disappear again, li&e the craE" old man who had woven straw into gold (or *apunEel$ 8D?, 100;

=hen Thad goes into a trance, the repressed material (rom the censured unconscious rises to the sur(ace$ As the previous section on /The >ellow =allpaper has suggested, auto'iograph", in the process o( writing, lac&s the presence and the perspective o( the other and suspends it temporaril" until it is readH thin&ing is a similar &ind o( dialogue, which also temporaril" suspends its own e+ternal e+pression$ %t is a secret contract with onesel(, a dialogue with the other "et to come$ As Socrates sa"s /=hen the mind is thin&ing, it is simpl" tal&ing to itsel(, as&ing Duestions and answering them, and sa"ing "es or no$ 60 Thad transposes this process into words onto paper when he is pondering upon Star& and the possi'ilities o( their mutual relationship 8a(ter all, this characteriEes a large part o( his journal;

64

Wuoted in .riedrich !ittler, /*omanticism J #s"choanal"sis J .ilm A ?istor"

o( the Dou'le, Literature, 1edia, )n$or"ation .%ste"s, ed$ John Johnson, 8Amsterdam FYB Arts, -22B; 6B$
60

Wuoted in /The Dou'le Session, -64$

-A3

)ow the pen was racing over the page$ ?e had not written so Duic&l" or unsel(consciousl" in months$ Luestion: s,arro'sN Ans'er: &o. He said he doesnOt, and ) 8elieve hi". Luestion: A" ) .!5E ) 8elieve hi"N 8D?, 10B; oes .tark kno' there are

%( Socrates later li&ens soul to the 'oo&, Thad manages to e+ternaliEe his process o( reasoning 8thin&ing; in the (orm o( writing$ The process o( this sel(Iinterview is the same as the one which (eatures Star&s dictation J unsel(conscious /?e had not

written so Duic&l" or unsel(consciousl" in months$ This dialogue occurs 'etween Thad and an imaginar" sel($ The schism o( Thads mind is indeli'leH and, at the same time, its two parts are insepara'le$ As LiE and sheri(( #ang'orn are waiting (or Thad and Feorge to (inish the writing session, she worries that he is not going to 'e the same /#art o( him loves Star&$ #art o( him loves Star&\s $ $ $ his 'lac&ness 8D?, 433;$ She has seen and heard how the two laughed in almost identical wa"$ Thad &ills Star&, 'ut once ones dar& dou'le has 'een e+posed, the horror o( ones potential selves 'ecomes oppressing >ou don\t understand what "ou are, and % dou't that "ou ever will$ >our wi(e might $ $ $ although % wonder i( things will ever 'e right 'etween the two o( "ou a(ter this, i( she\ll ever want to understand, or dare to love "ou again$ >our &ids, ma"'e, someda" $$$ 'ut not "ou, Thad$ Standing ne+t to "ou is li&e standing ne+t to a cave some nightmarish creature came out o($ The monster is gone now, 'ut "ou still don\t li&e to 'e
-A4

too close to where it came (rom$ Because there might 'e another$ 8D?, 40B;

!ings novel does not e+actl" voice the conventional (eature which has the su'ject die with its dou'le$ Even though Thad does not die ph"sicall", he dies in a wa"$ %( the section on /=illiam =ilson concluded that =ilson 'ecame dead (or the world in the sense o( not 'eing the same, Thad, then, also changes a(ter &illing his dou'le$ =riting gives li(e, through writing one lives, as we have seen in the section on /The >ellow =allpaper$ (he ark Hal$

reinterprets the notion o( autotelic writing A piece o( art, a novel in this case, e+ists in order to 'eH Feorge Star& J the dar& hal( J writes novelsH the writing o( novels is a prereDuisite o( his 'eingH the novel is there (or Star& to e+ist$ A pseudon"m e+ists onl" as (ar as it produces te+ts$ Thad has to help Feorge write 'ecause he cannot write '" himsel($ %n this light, the sentence a'out writers 'loc& at the 'eginning o( the novel 'ecomes ironical /And dead writers have a terminal case o( that 8D?, 13;$ =hen Star& attempts to write, the onl" thing he can write is his name$ =h" does a name alwa"s appear to 'e accentuated in one wa" or anotherR The name is the (irst thing that a child learns to write and /a written name ma" serve as the (irst tool to construct literac"$6@ Learn to write is what Star& needs, and the
6@

Janet =$ Bloodgood, /=hat %s %n a )ameR 5hildrens name writing and

literac" acDuisition, 5eading 5esearch Luarterl% 34$3 8-222; 341$

-A0

recurring name, written '" him during his attempts at creative writing, testi(ies to this desire$ <n the other hand, (or one to reall" live, one must /assert himsel( in a singular (ashion, without his inherited name$
6B

?e either needs to start writing

idiomaticall" 8the Lam' mode o( writing; or as the a'oveIDuoted imperative o( the name indirectl" implies, to get rid o( the (ather$ 8This is, however, onl" an empt" promise o( (reedom, as the (athers name continues to haunt one even a(ter the (athers death$ Thad, Star&ss (ather, asserts his authorit" in the end$ Singularit" is impossi'le;$ To e+ist as himsel( he needs to get rid o( Thad, which happens s"m'olicall" as the decomposition that Feorge has su((ered starts to a((ect Thad, as Feorge reclaims his writing$ =riting suppresses the name identit" and temporaril" suspends the inherited past, especiall" i( the author moves awa" (rom the 9Lam' mode:$ /% dont &now who % am when %m writing 8D?, 366;, sheri(( #ang'orn can remem'er Thad sa"ing$ =hen the decomposing Feorge Star& manages to spout lines o( the new 'oo&, mar&s o( 'odil" disintegration 'egin to appear on Thads (ace and disappear (rom Star&s$ <nl" one o( them can live, and it is the one who writes$ %ndeed the opposition o( the words 9composition: and 9decomposition: e+presses the 9eitherI or: situation$

6B

JacDues Derrida, /Aphorism 5ountertime, trans$ )icholas *o"le, Acts o$

Literature, ed$ Dere& Attridge 8London and )ew >or& *outledge, -221; 43A$

-A@

>et, there is a dou'le 'ind, as writing presupposes the authors deathH it must 'e reitera'le long a(ter the author is not present$ =riting mar&s the presence and the a'sence at the same time$ #arado+icall", it presupposes death on one side, and strives to e+tend li(e on the other, '" retracing the state when the author was alive$ LivingIdead is how Star& is la'elled dead signature J living person$ =riting, thus, could 'e thought o( as a &ind o( dou'le$ %t is imitation o( what is and wasH it 'inds us to memor"$ 85an the allegor" o( the mirror images time lag (rom the end o( the second section o( the thesis remem'eredR; Memor" has dou'le re(erence as (ar as time is concerned memor" conserves the past, and memor" occurs in the present reiterating the past$ #eople also do things with prospects o( having memories, so the range o( memor" e+tends into the (uture$ The mimetic arts have o(ten 'een condemned as sem'lances, idols, and dou'les$ Just li&e the mirror image, which is actuall" alwa"s the past 8as the light travels a certain amount o( time till it reaches our e"es and we thus watch the present moment (rom the (uture;, the dou'le negotiates 'etween all these time intervals$

-AB

; The Uncanny: 4eprise

As % was wal&ing, one hot summer a(ternoon, through the deserted streets o( a provincial town in %tal" which was un&nown to me % (ound m"sel( in a Duarter o( whose character % could not long remain in dou't$ )othing 'ut painted, women were to 'e seen at the windows o( the small houses, and % hastened to leave the narrow street at the ne+t turning$ But a(ter having wandered a'out (or a time without inDuiring m" wa", % suddenl" (ound m"sel( 'ac& in the same street, where m" presence was now 'eginning to e+cite attention$ % hurried awa" once more, onl" to arrive '" another dAtour at the same place "et a third time$ )ow, however, a (eeling overcame me which % can onl" descri'e as uncann", and % was glad enough to (ind m"sel( 'ac& at the piaEEa % had le(t a short while 'e(ore without (urther vo"ages o( discover"$ 8,, 302;

The present thesis is now at its end J without /(urther vo"ages o( discover" to (ollowH 'ut it also returns to where it started J the uncann"$ %s it a happ" return li&e that o( .reudR %t is di((icult to tell$ At least, it is an inevita'le return, de(ined, not onl" '" the prescri'ed structure o( an academic wor&, 'ut also '" the ver" nature o( the uncann"$ To Duote .reud once more /And (inall", there is the constant repetition o( the same thing 8,, 30@; J the return o( the (amiliar$ Li&e .reud in the anecdote Duoted a'ove, the te+t o( this thesis too& a num'er o( dAtours in an attempt to trace the movement o( the dou'le, which, li&e the uncann", succum's to the wor& o( di$$Arance$ .inall", the thesis returns to its 'eginning$ Discussing TEvetan Todorovs notion o( the 9metaIuncann":, )icholas *o"le asserts
-A6

/Ever" allegedl"

uncann" te+t is alwa"s a te+t a8out the uncann"66$ The claim could also 'e reversed$ The concluding section should, in a concise wa", repeat what preceded it$ >et, i( it were to sta" true to the concept which it descri'es, it should, in some wa", 'e di((erent J un(amiliar J as well$ Such is alwa"s the dou'le, which emphasises the (act that, in some respects, one is alwa"s a stranger to his sel($ A man might (ace his e+act cop", 'ut the similitude entails traces o( di((erence o( which he is o(ten unaware$ These traces either em'od" the repressed wishes, which spring (rom the

unconscious, or represent the ignored repressing (orces which wor& against the unrestrained desires o( the su'ject$ A7B vu, the

dou'ling that .reud e+perienced in %tal", is, to a great e+tent, coincidentalH 'ut could he not 'e drawn to the same spot '" some inner compulsionR The dou'le is neither an e+clusivel"

e+ternal nor an e+clusivel" internal entit"$ =hile li(e and literar" wor&s give the impression that one is (ollowed and haunted '" the dou'le, the dou'le is the permanent resident o( ones sel(H 'eing repressed it returns and pee&s out at times, just to remind us o( its presence$ =illiam =ilsons dou'le appears at such impossi'le places and at such impossi'le times that =ilson is almost driven to madness$ %t is strange, uncann", "et, the (act that he is carr"ing his dou'le with himsel( can 'e easil" overloo&ed$ The name, that
66

)icholas *o"le, (he !ncann%: An )ntroduction, -6J-2$

-A2

is 9=illiam =ilson:, is the element that, through its re(erence to the past, carries out constant surveillance on the sel($ Filmans heroine o( /The >ellow =allpaper sees weird (igures on the wall$ The apparition that reminds one o( a ghost also evo&es the (eelings o( the uncann"$ ?owever, it is onl" the projection o( the womans sel($ ?er dou'le on the wall is auto'iographical and, thus, alwa"s accompanies her$ Lastl", Thad Beaumonts 9dar& hal(: has alwa"s 'een living inside his head in one (orm or another$ %t represents his unconscious desires (or a di((erent wa" o( li(eH what Thad cannot do himsel(, he ma&es the other do in a (ictional world$ ?is dar& hal( also used to 'e ph"sicall" attached to his 'rain in the (orm the thriving 'its o( a 9devoured twin:H thus, the dou'le could also 'e thought o( as a memor"$ %n its own wa", each te+t discussed introduces t

un(amiliarit" into the issues the reader might have considered (amiliar$ Each o( them hides the dou'le which is not just a common 9imitator: with the same appearance, voice, and nameH the anal"sis here has identi(ied phenomena which per(orm the (unction o( the dou'le despite their relative strangeness and their seeming unrelatedness to the concept$ The issues

considered have included narcissism, names, the unconscious, diar", auto'iograph", pseudon"ms, epigraphs and even writing as such$ ?owever, the potential scope o( the dou'le is much greater$
--A

Again, the list o( the dou'ling phenomena could 'e e+tended, just li&e the list o( the uncann", almost in(initel" A7B

vu, especiall" in connection with literature and narrativesH 62 imitation as the general attri'ute o( literatureH photograph" as a medium which captures ones image and steals the mens soulH translation and interpretation as a distorting dou'ling o( the originalH truth and (iction, especiall" in the age o( in(ormationH a reprise (ollowing the premiereH summar" o( the thesis 8with one soon to (ollow;H prosthesis as a replacement (or the amputated part o( a 'od"H schiEophreniaH homose+ualit"H punsH stereoH vooI doo dollsH etc$ All &inds o( dualities, oppositions and dialectics could 'e approached through the prism o( the uncann" and the dou'le, which has 'een outlined in this thesis$

62

)icholas *o"le, (he !ncann%: An )ntroduction, 3-4J3-0$

---

< 6orks !ited

Bloodgood, Janet =$ /=hat %s in a )ameR 5hildrens )ame =riting and Literac" AcDuisition$ 5eading 5esearch Luarterl% 34$3 8-222; 341J3@B$ Bloom, ?arold$ (he Western /anon: (he +ooks and .chools o$ the Ages$ )ew >or& *iverhead, -220$ 5i+ous, ?ClKne$ /.iction and %ts #hantoms A *eading o( .reuds as !nhei"liche 8The 9uncann":;$ &e' Literar% Histor% B$3 8-2B@; 010J046$ 5i+ous, ?ClKne$ /The Laugh o( the Medusa$ Trans$ !eith 5ohen G #aula 5ohen$ -e"inis"s: An Antholog% o$ Literar% (heor% and /riticis". Eds$ =arhol, *o'"n *$ and Diane #rice ?erndl$ )ew Brunswic& *utgers ,#, -22@$ 334J42$ 5uddon, J$ A$ (he *enguin ictionar% o$ Literar% (er"s and Literar% (heor%$ London #enguin, -222$ Derrida, JacDues$ /Aphorism 5ountertime$ Trans$ )icholas *o"le$ Acts o$ Literature$ Ed$ Dere& Attridge$ London and )ew >or& *outledge, -221$ I I I, /The Dou'le Session$ isse"ination$ Trans$ Bar'ara Johnson$ London Athlone, -26-$ I I I, (he Ear o$ the Other: Oto8iogra,h%, (rans$erence, (ranslation $ Trans$ #egg" !amu($ Ed$ 5hristie S$ McDonald$ )ew >or& Schoc&en Boo&s, -260$ I I I, /#s"che %nvention o( the <ther$ Acts o$ Literature. Ed$ Dere& Attridge$ )ew >or& *outledge, -221$ I I I, /Signature Event 5onte+t$ 1argins o$ *hiloso,h%$ Trans$ Alan Bass$ Brighton ?arvester, -261$ I I I, .,eech and *heno"ena and Other Essa%s on Husserls (heor% o$ .igns$ Trans$ David Allison$ Evanston, %llinois )orthwestern ,niversit" #ress, -2B3$ Doc&, Julie BatesH Allen, Daphne *"anH #alais, Jenni(erH and Trac", !risten$ /9But <ne E+pects That: 5harlotte #er&ins Filman\s 9The >ellow =allpaper: and the Shi(ting Light o( Scholarship$ *1LA ---$- 8-22@; 01J@0$
--1

Dolar, Mladen$ /9% Shall Be with >ou on >our =eddingI)ight: Lacan and the ,ncann"$ Octo8er Sol$ 06 8Autumn, -22-; 0J13$ .orster, E$M$ /Anon"mit" An %nDuir"$ ('o /heers $or ?armondsworth #enguin, -2BA$ e"ocrac%$

.reud, Sigmund$ /An Auto'iographical Stud"$ (he -reud 5eader$ Ed$ #eter Fa"$ London Sintage, -262$ I I I, /5reative =riting and Da"IDreaming$ (he -reud 5eader$ Ed$ #eter Fa"$ London Sintage, -262$ I I I, /The Ego and the %d$ (he -reud 5eader$ Ed$ #eter Fa"$ London Sintage, -262$ 0 0 0, (he )nter,retation o$ =ordsworth, -22B$ rea"s$ Trans$ A$ A$ Brill$ London

I I I, /<n )arcissism An %ntroduction$ (he -reud 5eader$ Ed$ #eter Fa"$ London Sintage, -262$ I I I, /The Schre'er 5ase #s"choanal"tic *emar&s on an Auto'iographicall" Descri'ed 5ase o( #aranoia 8Dementia #aranoides;$ (he .chre8er /ase. )ew >or& #enguin, 1AA3$ I I I, /The Theme o( the Three 5as&ets$ (he -reud 5eader$ Ed$ #eter Fa"$ London Sintage, -262$ I I I, /The ,ncann"$ Art and Literature: JensenOs Gradiva, Leonardo da Vinci and Other Works. Eds$ James Strache" and Al'ert Dic&son$ Sol$ -4$ London #enguin, -22A$ Filman, 5harlotte #er&ins$ (he Living o$ /harlotte *erkins Gil"an: An Auto8iogra,h%. Madison, =isconsin ,niversit" o( =isconsin #ress, -22A$ Filman, 5harlotte #er&ins$ /The >ellow =allpaper$ C(he Dello' Wall,a,er and Other .tories$ Mineola, )ew >or& Dover, -22B$ Fins'urg, Michael #eled$ /#seudon"m, Epigraphs, and )arrative Soice Middlemarch and the #ro'lem o( Authorship$ ELH 4B$3 8-26A; 041J006$ ?egel, .$=$ /Sel( 5ertaint" and the Lordship and Bondage o( Sel(I 5onsciousness$ Hegel: (he Essential Writings. Ed$ .rederic& F$ =eiss$ )ew >or& ?arper G *ow, -2B4$ ?o((mann, E$ T$ A$ /The Sandman$ (ales o$ Ho$$"ann$ Trans$ *$ J$ ?ollingdale$ London #enguin, 1AA4$

--3

?oggs, James$ /Strange Letter o( a Lunatic$ -rasers 1aga9ine 1$ 8Decem'er -63A; 01@J031$ ?omer, Sean$ 5outledge /ritical (hinkers: Jac6ues Lacan$ London *outledge, 1AA@$ %ngram, John ?$ Li$e and Letters o$ Edgar Allan *oe$ London =ard, Loc&, Bowden G 5o$, -62-$ Jentsch, Ernst$ /<n the #s"cholog" o( the ,ncann"$ Angelaki 1$-$ 8-220; BJ-@$ Jonson Bar'ara$ Translators %ntroduction$ isse"ination$ '" JacDues Derrida$ Trans$ Bar'ara Johnson$ London Athlone, -26-$ vii J +++ii$ Johnson, ?elen$ /5an *ationalit" Em'race the ,ncann"R )ew =a"s to Manage 5on(lict in the South #aci(ic$ Georgia *olitical .cience Association /on$erence$ 5on(erence #roceedings 1AA0$ 0th April 1A-A lhttp UUaIs$cla"ton$eduUtrachten'ergU1AA0o1A#roceedings o1AJohnson$pd(n !ing, Stephen$ (he ark Hal$$ London ?odder, 1AAB$

I I I, Stephen$ (hinner$ )ew >or& Signet, -260$ I I I, .te,hen 4ing -AL: <Wh% did %ou 'rite 8ooks as 5ichard +ach"anN#$ 1Ath March 1A-A lhttp UUwww$stephen&ing$comU(aD$htmlm-$@n$ !ittler, .riedrich$ /*omanticism J #s"choanal"sis J .ilm A ?istor" o( the Dou'le$ Literature, 1edia, )n$or"ation .%ste"s$ Ed$ John Johnson$ Amsterdam FYB Arts, -22B$ !p'ler, Ferhard$ eutsches Et%"ologisches W3rter8uch$ -220$ 11$ Januar" 1A-A lhttp UUwww$&oe'lergerhard$deUderw'hin$htmln LamarDue, #eter$ /?ow 5an =e .ear and #it" .ictions$ Aesthetics and the *hiloso,h% o$ Art P (he Anal%tic (radition: An Antholog%$ Eds$ #eter LamarDue and Stein ?augom <lsen$ Malden, Mass$ Blac&well, 1AA4$ 316 J 33@$ Ducret, Antoine$ /%mago$ )nternational ictionar% o$ *s%choanal%sis$ .armington ?ills, M% Fale, 1AA1$ 2th April 1A-A lhttp UUwww$enotes$comUps"choanal"sisIenc"clopediaUimagon Miller, JacDuesIAllain$ /An %ntroduction to Seminars % and %%$ 5eading .e"inars ) and )): Lacans 5eturn to -reud. Eds$ *$ .eldstein, B$ .in& and M$ Jaanus$ )ew >or& S,)> #ress, -22@$ 3J30$
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O>$ord English

ictionar%$ <nline Edition$ <+(ord ,niversit" #ress, 1AA2$

3A$ Januar" 1A-A lhttp UU www$oed$comn

#oe, E$ A$ /Ligeia$ .elected (ales: Edgar Allan *oe$ London #enguin, -224$ #oe, E$ A$ /=illiam =ilson$ .elected (ales: Edgar Allan *oe$ London #enguin, -224$ Wuinn, Arthur ?o'son$ Edgar Allan *oe: A /ritical +iogra,h%$ )ew >or& D$ Appleton J 5entur", -24-$ *andi, James$ An Enc%clo,edia o$ /lai"s, -rauds, and Hoa>es o$ the Occult and .u,ernatural. -220J1AAB$ 0th April 1A-A http UUwww$randi$orgUenc"clopediaUideomotoro1Ae((ect$htmln *an&, <tto$ er 3,elg2nger: Eine ,s%choanal%stische .tudie$ LepEig %nternationaler #s"choanal"sticher Serlag, -210$ *o"le, )icholas$ /)uclear #iece Memoires o( ?amlet and the Time to 5ome$ iacritics 1A$- 8-22A; 32J0B$ *o"le, )icholas$ (he !ncann%: An )ntroduction$ Manchester Manchester ,#, 1AA3$ SaintIAmour, #aul !$ /Bom'ing and the S"mptom Traumatic Earliness and the )uclear ,ncann"$ iacritics, 3A$4 81AAA; 02J61$ Sha&espeare, =illiam$ Ha"let: *rince o$ en"ark. Ed$ #hilip Edwards$ ,pdated ed$ 5am'ridge 5am'ridge ,#, 1AA@$ Sha&espeare, =illiam$ (he O>$ord .hakes,eare: /o",lete Works$ <+(ord <+(ord ,#, -226$ Todorov, TEvetan$ /The ,ncann" and the Marvelous$ (he -antastic: a .tructural A,,roach to a Literar% Genre$ Trans$ *$ ?oward$ %thaca, )> 5ornell ,#, -2B0$ Thrail&ill, Jane .$ /Doctoring 9The >ellow =allpaper: ELH @2$1 81AA1; 010J0@@$ =alton, !endal L$ /.earing .ictions$ Aesthetics and the *hiloso,h% o$ Art P (he Anal%tic (radition: An Antholog%$ Eds$ #eter LamarDue and Stein ?augom <lsen$ Malden, Mass$ Blac&well, 1AA4$ 316J 33@$ =ilde, <scar$ (he *icture o$ orian Gra%$ London #enguin, -224$

--0

= Summary
This thesis deals with the concept o( 9the dou'le:, which constitutes one o( the most important aspects o( 9the uncann":$ The thesis revisits Sigmund .reuds essa" /Das ,nheimliche 89the uncann":;, which speci(ies the uncann" as the return o( the repressed and the revival o( surmounted 'elie(s$ Alongside this assertion, the thesis outlines several other (undamental theoretical concepts which de(ine the general character o( the dou'le$ <tto *an&s stud" er

o,,elg2nger 89the dou'le:;, .reuds theor" o( narcissism and Lacans theor" o( the mirror stage are particularl" relevant to the inDuir"$ The concepts o( the uncann" and the dou'le then serve as a general (ramewor& (or the discussion o( several notions (rom literar", ps"choanal"tic, and philosophical conte+ts$ %n addition to ps"choanal"sis, a deconstructive approach is used to discuss three wor&s o( literature Edgar Allan #oes /=illiam =ilson, 5harlotte #er&ins Filmans /The >ellow =allpaper and Stephen !ings (he ark Hal$$ The section on /=illiam =ilson deals with the haunting character o( the name, the wor& o( the superego and constant surveillance '" the (ather$ The ne+t section proposes to perceive auto'iographical writing as the dou'le and discusses (eminist and ps"choanal"tical approaches to Filmans /The >ellow =allpaper in the conte+t o( auto'iograph"$ The interpretation o( (he ark Hal$

concentrates on the pro'lem o( the pseudon"m, the creation o( the (ictional sel(, and on writing as constituting the dou'le and ones
--@

e+istence$ The anal"sis, thus, descri'es the major (eatures o( 9dou'ling: and suggests wa"s to approach other phenomena 'ased on the concept o( the dou'le$

--B

> 4esum?
Tqto diplomovq prqca pojednqva o &oncepte rdvojnsctva9, &tort je jedntm E najdulevitejwsch aspe&tov &onceptu rthe uncann"9

8rtiesnivC, podivnC, m7tQce9;$ Diplomovq prqca sa vracia & eseji Sigmunda .reuda rDas ,nheimliche9, &torq de(inuje a&o rtiesnivC9 to, xo mq puvod v potlaxenom a v ovivens uv pre&onantch

primitsvn"ch presvedxens$ <&rem tejto de(inscie naxrtqva tqto diplomovq prqca aj nie&oy&o zalwsch Eq&ladntch teoretic&tch &onceptov, &torC napomqhajQ urxi{ er vweo'ecnC vlastnosti

rdvojnsctva9$ |tQdia <tta *an&a

o,,elg2nger 8rDvojns&9;,

.reudova te}ria rnarcisiEmu9 a Lacanova te}ria rwtqdia Er&adla9 sa u&aEujQ a&o o'Evlqw{ relevantnC pre 'qdanie v tejto o'lasti$ !oncept" rtiesnivCho9 a rdvojnsctva9 potom slQvia a&o rqmec dis&usie o nie&oy&tch tCmach E literqrnej, ps"choanal"tic&ej

a (iloEo(ic&ej o'lasti$ <&rem ps"choanaltE" pristupuje autor tejto diplomovej prqce & nasledovntm literqrn"m dielam aj

de&onwtru&xne

r=illiam =ilson9 od Edgara Allana #oea, r~ltq

Tapeta9 od 5harlotte #er&ins Filmanovej a (e"nQ ,olovica od Stephena !inga$ as{ pojednqvajQca o diele r=illiam =ilson9 sa Eao'erq prenasledujQcou dohyadom povahou rotca9$ mena, xinnos{ou se&cia superega pristupuje

a neustql"m

)asledujQca

& auto'iogra(ic&Cmu pssaniu a&o & (orme dvojnsctva a pojednqva o (eministic&om a ps"choanal"tic&om prsstupe & r~ltej tapete9 v &onte+te auto'iogra(ie$ %nterpretqcia
--6

(e"ne7

,olovice

sa

sQstrezuje na otqE&u pseudon"mu, tvor'u (i&tsvneho rja9 a na pssanie, a&o prostriedo& utvqrajQci rdvojns&a9 a '"tie vlastnCho rja9$ Tqto diplomovq prqca ta& opisuje najdulevitejwie xrt" rEdvojovania9 a prichqdEa so spuso'mi, a&tmi movno pristupova{ & intm javom rdvojnsctva9$

--2